Golden Hour

We’ve had some amazing sunsets lately.  It’s partly the time of year, but it’s also impacted by all the smoke in the atmosphere.

sunset over the corn field

The herd

It’s beautiful to see, but hard on the allergies.

Looking Like Fall

It’s really looking like fall around here.  The corn is turning.  It certainly provides contrast from the green of the buffer strip.

Maybeline

The bean harvest is under way.

looking down my road

I’m not sure how much color we’ll have this fall with the drought conditions.

Dead tree hill

A lot of the trees have already lost leaves; it’s way too early for them to have lost their leaves.  And so many have just been lost.  I’m trying to figure out how to plant about twenty-five trees and keep them safe from goats.

This tree turned because it was toppled in the derecho (Antigone and Casey)

But it’s still fall, and it’s one of my favorite seasons!

pie pumpkins and butternut squash

Our weather has actually turned back to feeling like fall too!

A Season for Preserving Food

I swear all I’ve done the last couple of weeks is prepare food for the winter.

That includes a lot of mozzarella cheese for me and the family.  I still have to do mozzarella sticks.  I’m also making chevre.

I have plenty of sweet corn frozen.

Some of the goats have taken advantage of my corn shucks being tossed out. Everyone else was still out in pasture.

Dolly and Cookie

Cookie in particular has been good about coming up early to sneak a treat.

My tomato plants are dying; I lost a lot to rot from the hail; I am picking them early to preserve every drop of liquid in them, but I am working on canning the tomatoes that are left.

I have cold pack tomatoes.

I am making sauce for the family now.

I have also been chopping and freezing okra and hot peppers.  This year I decided to try canning my roasted beets with a honey rosemary glaze instead of freezing them.

I just need the Habanero peppers to turn orange so I can make my son’s salsa.

Just as I finish this summer canning, I’m going to move on to the fall stuff because I’m seeing orange in the garden.

I think I might be ready for the first frost this year.