Many Happy Returns

Fall Planting hopefully will bring a bounty of blooms next Spring & Summer
and garden food to eat this Fall & Winter & into next year.

The weather here in Kentucky has been perfect to get outside and enjoy time spent in the garden.
A great time of year to play and plant.

The list:  Chard, Garlic bulbs, lettuce, mustard greens, turnips,
                 Lilies and an old rose called St. John for my son (as I write this, Laura, your rose is being
                 propagated)

        
These greens are ready to be picked
after seeding 4 weeks ago, thanks to the ideal
weather and chicken compost.














Plants are also being moved from one location to another. Iris found at an old house are being thinned and moved to my ole iris garden. Young trees that were quickly planted are being moved to a permanent spot.

The stalk of the chard is a great substitute
for celery.  The top greens are wonderful sauteed or chopped into soups.  A bunch of celery, gotten at the store, is usually too much to use up before it goes bad. This chard is convenient to use as a
celery substitute from summer until December.










Happy Fall planting and many happy returns for you.

First Day of Fall

The September Equinox or Ember day is today, the 22nd.

Ember day in Latin means: "four seasons of the year"
This season, the start of Autumn, is when the sun shines directly on the equator and the
length of day and night is equal--12 hours each

Today is also a Christian Holy Day, set aside for fasting and prayer.

Fall, a perfect time of year to go for  ride!

painted by: Elin Pendleton, a KY artist.

A day set aside for a fall ride, praying to stay on the horse and fasting while sipping
on fall spirits.

A Treasure Found

Once upon a morning walk, I noticed a log, that was placed upright to be a log table, had fallen over on its side during the rains. I bent down to grab hold of the log to move it, as it had fallen on some perennials.
The buzzing sound alarmed me to get back. I got back and saw the bees swarming. I felt a sting and ran for the house. While I was telling my Uncle what had happened, he was swatting bees away from him.
Those bees followed me into the house.
We both had been stung.


I was excited to have found a bee hive/nest right in the front yard!
Bees are pollinators.
Without them we all would not have the crops we harvest.
All my flower planting has payed off!
Those bees love my flowers and built themselves a nest
and hopefully will stay put around here to help me with my gardens and harvest.

A women and her bee hives and flowers.

MY TREASURE

Food in Jars

                                                           What to DO with All this Food?



I'd say the chicken compost worked wonders!



        preservation -   putting food by -  canning  -  drying  - fermenting - salting - pickling - freezing
                            - confit  -


These terms mean the same thing:  saving food you don't use now, to be enjoyed later, especially
the enjoyment found in fermenting grapes into wine.

Gardeners preserve their own food, so as not to waste it.
Other reasons to put food by are: the taste of home-produced food, control over the ingredients, no additives, personal satisfaction, economy, gift giving, tradition or a special variety not found in stores.

My list includes: bread and butter pickles, dill pickles, hot peppers, green beans, sauerkraut, spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, tomato juice, squash pickles, cornichons, stuffed and frozen cabbage rolls and green peppers, frozen veggies, apples for pie, frozen fruit, applesauce, jams and last but certainly not least is the wine from grapes.