Last night was the first for the temps to drop below freezing this season. But, we knew it was coming and spent the past several days moving plants into the garage and a few inside.
There are some winter hardy plants still growing outdoors.
Although, not much stays green here in the hardwood forest.
Dinosaur Kale looks good. I harvested some leaves and added them to the pot of turkey soup.
Italian Parsley.
Chrysanthemum x morifolium, photo from yesterday. It made it but doesn't look quite as good today.
Turk's Cap is completely brown this morning.
Dh finally repaired the fence. He took down the pickets a long time ago and the posts stayed. But at last, we now have a new horse style fence with two rails. He lowered the fence so had to cut all the posts down. It looks great.
He had to move the rose bushes. They were in the way. I hope they make it in their new location. I cut a few blooms to enjoy.
Cardinal Basil is just now starting to go to seed. I sowed it from seed this spring in a giant clay container, thinking it would be done by the end of the season because there is no way planned to haul that huge pot into the garage. But it's in there!
Sandalwood blooming in a sunny window
Made a batch (one head) of purple sauerkraut this afternoon. It should be ready to taste in about 72 hours but will probably let it sit longer... at least until the pastrami brisket is done brining.
"One thorn of experience is worth a whole wilderness of warning." James Russell Lowell
Amber Love Daylily decided to bloom! Typically, all of the daylilies start to bloom in spring and are all done by the end of summer. Just like they did this year. Amber Love has been a part of the Memory Garden for many years and this is the first time she's bloomed in October. A very special surprise indeed.
Some of the regular October bloomers are still showing off...
I simply love the simple blooms of Knock Out Roses and these smell very fragrant!
Turk's Cap is still going! Though the hummingbirds have moved south.
Radio Red Salvia
So here it is mid October and so much is behind me, the summer harvest, blooming flowers and warm weather are fading away. It makes me aware that I need to seize more moments; they come and go so quickly.
But as the days of summer fade, there's a new season to look forward to. The warmth of yesterday is now replaced with the coolness I had longed for on those hot summer days. Now I look forward to sitting by a nice warm fire. It's funny how that works.
The thermometer read 42°F this morning. The leaves are starting to change color and beginning to fall to the ground.
Well, you can't tell much yet but it's changing.
A walk down by the memory garden, the Live Oak has grown quite a bit since spring.
Yesterday I saw a hummingbird at each of the two feeders still hanging. The numbers have decreased over a three week period and the feeders were taken down one by one. There were nine feeders at the peak of migration in September. I just put in fresh nectar and will keep the two feeders up just in case some more stragglers happen by.
My cute little photo bomber. Well you might not think he's little but he was born the runt so I still think of him as my little one. He's a gentle giant.
Basil, Purple Ruffles seed heads
We get lots of butterflies this time of year. The zinnias are still going strong and are popular with the butterflies.
Tom Thumb lettuce looks good. Seeds sown exactly one month ago today. Time to thin it out and have a salad.
Kale looks good too. Black Magic Kale, I think.
More basils ~
Holy Basil is popular with the honey bees.
It went kinda wild this year.
I'm really impressed with the Cardinal Basil. Not only is it beautiful, it's tasty too. With a little more of an anise scent than regular basil but it doesn't come out in the flavor. The plant stays full and green all summer. It's a little late to bloom. I hope to have seeds so may need to put it inside or in the garage if the weather turns too cold.
The Genovese decided to self sow which made a nice late season supply of basil.
I don't seem to have a current picture of Amethyst Basil. It's nice. Similar to Genovese in scent and flavor but purple while young and tender. As it matures it has more green.
Bat Wing Acorn Pumpkin... I think. Seeds were sown in August. Hoping the weather stays nice enough to harvest.
Heart shaped sweet potato leaf. I still need to dig them up...
Loquats are blooming. They have never made it through the winter to actually fruit. It gets too cold! Maybe we'll get lucky some year.
Have to mention dh (Grandpa) trimming an oak tree!
It's a lot quieter around here now that many of them have gone. I'm actually surprised to see two out there right now. The Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have been a part of my days all summer as they buzzed around chattering and chasing each other, livening up the garden and visiting the feeders. But now it's time for them to begin their journey south, heading to the warm and sunny tropics. It's a sad time seeing them go.
Like clockwork, these amazing little birds have been arriving here the first week in April for the past twelve years. A journey they take every year, traveling thousands of miles. It's astonishing! I feel so blessed to have them stop here. Actually, it started with only two of them. Nowadays, as the summer rolls on, the numbers increase and by the end of the summer there are hundreds of hummingbirds visiting the feeders and nearby flowers daily.
The Ruby-throated hummingbird starts its migration south at the end of August or beginning of September. It's hard to say which ones are residents and which are just passing through but the numbers go up and down. September is the busiest time and some mornings there are so many at the feeders that they're three deep to take a drink. Most of September I'm filling the feeders two or three times daily. This year I had nine feeders hanging and went through more than 180 pounds of sugar. I kept a tally. I didn't keep track of the organic sugar that I had to use early on. Due to the pandemic, this spring there were times there was no cane sugar to be found on any store shelves. Crazy times.
I'm down to having four feeders hanging, filling them only half way. There's so few of them now that I'll have to change the sugar water every two or three days to keep it fresh just in case some stragglers happen by for a drink on their journey. A couple more will come down soon but I'll leave two out there just in case, until it's certain no more hummingbirds are around.
Good bye until next year my little friends. I'm going to miss you.
Now that the garden cucumbers are plentiful, it's time make Bread & Butter Pickles. They're hubby's favorite, especially when I make them spicy.
When cucumbers get going, they get going! Every two or three days there's a bunch more to pick. But even when I think I'm being diligent about picking them, there's that one that gets away, growing into a ginormous monster! They don't go to waste, I juice those.
This year I'm growing Muncher again. I like the crispness and mild flavor. It's not at all bitter and not real sweet but just right. They're a thin skinned, smooth cucumber that can be eaten right out of the garden. Great to eat sliced, made into salads, pickled, or juiced.
Bread & Butter Pickling day~
I've made two batches already. This recipe makes 2 quarts.
8 to 10 cucumbers
1 white onion, peeled
2 or 3 jalapeno peppers (and/or other hot peppers from the garden)
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 c organic cane sugar
1 & 1/2 c white vinegar
1/2 c apple cider vinegar
2 t mustard seeds (I like hot mustard)
2 t celery seeds
1 t pickling spice
1 t ground turmeric
1 T kosher salt for sweating the cucumbers
Slice the cucumber and jalapenos into rounds (thicker than regular pickles but not too thick). Cut onion in half or quarters and slice very thinly. Place all in a large bowl, toss with the kosher salt. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for an hour or two. Remove and rinse in colander, drip dry. Pat with towel to remove extra water. I put everything, including the garlic cloves, cucumbers, jalapenos and sliced onions in a 2-quart jar but sometimes I'll used 2, 1-quart jars.
Add vinegars, seeds, spices and sugar to a stainless steel pot and heat to just before boiling and all the sugar is melted, or about 185°F. Pour this over the jar of cucumber mix.
That's it. After they've cooled, I put these in the refrigerator. They can keep for a long time but usually don't last. Later, I'll probably make another batch or more and do a canning bath so I can put them in the cupboard for longer storage.
*I made another batch of these pickles but this time I only used 1 & 1/2 cups of sugar instead of 2 cups and added some Chile de Arbol peppers. It's less sweet and more spicy. I think they'll be a hit!
