We had less than 26 degrees F early this morning. Luckily, we’d been keeping a close eye on the weather forecast and were prepared. Will lit the heaters in both hoop houses, where our peppers are still ripening, and the greenhouse, housing squash, onions, and misc. crops. Our entryway is stuffed full of crates of veggies as well. Yesterday, our friends, Sherri and Dara, came to help. They and Will dug most of our remaining potatoes. We still have most of one row left and a partial row of Dakota Pearls to dig, along with the carrots. We sent our valued helpers home with lots of beets and potatoes, as well as some Hopi Pale Grey squash, everyone’s very favorite for baking and pies.
Yesterday I was busy seeding out more Venice Bootleg peppers and many Striped Sugar Rush Peach hot peppers. (Boy are these ever beautiful as well as extremely tasty!) The last ones were chopped and mixed with Cowboy Candy syrup and canned up in half pints. I’m pretty sure this is our very favorite relish. I mix it with sour cream, cream cheese, and a little grated sharp cheddar cheese and that dip is to die for! Even people who “don’t like hot peppers” love it. It’s really not too hot, just spicy and fruity.
Will was busy after the girls left yesterday, hauling home more big round bales of hay. Today, he’s only got three trips and he’ll be finished hauling hay. Then we can get busy with more wood splitting, stacking, and garden stuff like hauling manure, pulling tomato cages, etc. Of course, I still have lots more seeds to get out of crops to dry, canning to do, and (yuck!) house to shovel out. Ahem … I mean clean… I seeded out two big Hopi Pale Grey squash today and will be baking them up. We’ll have it for dinner, and I’ll be making “pumpkin” pies too. Yummm! We’re supposed to be in a warming trend so I’m hoping to get the rest of the carrots pulled and cleaned up to can and store away for winter, along with the beets and potatoes. Busy, but oh so satisfying!
When I got in for a break yesterday afternoon, our rescue cat, Buffy, climbed up on me and insisted on getting comfortable. Upside-down, like she prefers. She’s so funny! — Jackie
We love our rescue cats. The big boy *finally* sits on my lap 2 1/2 years after we took him in. Of course he’s been sitting on my husband’s lap for a long time. We think his prior owner was my husband’s age/a little older who also liked to listen to music. The this-close-to-being-feral female can finally sit on my lap for more than a minute. And our feral is still doing well.
Was down in the high 20s here last night too but not for hours. The woods helps keep us a bit buffered as none of the bird baths froze. But soon will be time to get the heaters set for them. It is closer to November than October, where does the time go?