Pumpkins and other Miscellaney from the Farm

This morning we are 'testing' the furnace.....it is working.  The living room was 68° so we decided to turn off the AC on the system.

I do love this time of year.  The only thing that would make it perfect is for it to rain!  Still nothing predicted.  I may have to till the garden in a cloud of dust.

Speaking of the garden, I keep finding snacked on and rotting pumpkins so a few days ago I decided to harvest a few.  I found some that looked the perfect color and some that should have been left on the vine.  At least, I got all I could possibly need for the winter.



I let them ripen for a few days and then decided to process one, not the best colored one:



I  scrubbed it good and diced it into chunks; tossed into my turkey roaster with some water and cooked until tender.  I ran it through the Victorio strainer using the pumpkin cone.  Bits of softened skin came through so I decided to scoop the flesh off before straining.  I used to just process in the Cuisinart.  From this medium sized one, I got slightly over 4 lbs. of  pumpkin.  I thought it was a little coarse.  Maybe because of the early harvesting ?   Anyway,  I made a pie and it was very tasty, not as fine textures as 'store bought' but certainly very good.



I stored  the others in the milk parlor and they will last all winter into spring.

The vine is still growing with no let up in sight.  I have no idea what will ripen if anything by frost which is just around the corner (l0/20).

The same is true of the sweet potatoes....tremendous vines....sometimes not a good sign; all vines and no potatoes.

I am happy to report that DH finally got around to hauling off all my chain saw piles....now we need to rake the dead leaves left behind.  I ventured up the side of the cellar once again and chopping down an elm sapling.  I will treat the stump with diesel this morning.

There is nothing left in the garden but drying bean pods for seeds; still producing peppers and the aforementioned sweet potatoes and the odd clump of garlic seedling here and there.

DH saw this in the road when he went to get  the mail,

 

I am thinking juvenile rat snake?

I did not dispatch it.

We are seeing lots of garden spiders in webs.  I don't mind them unless I drive into one when mowing which I did.

Got company coming Monday.  Sis and BIL who haven't been down in two years.  They will just stay a couple of days....got to get back to the mini horses.

Mission Accomplished

Time has passed pretty quickly....I have been diligent about working  outside  each morning and am happy to report the garden is cleared!!!

This is the cleared east end:
 

 This end is where the  pepper patch lurked; now exposed and I harvested more this morning.



I have red, green, and yellow cheese peppers, giant jalapenos, red Maule, and Anchos.  I was supposed to have hot Hungarian Wax, but they are missing.    Don't know what happened unless Baker Creek got confused!

I want to string some on fishing line and try drying them.  But that may not happen......sounds good though.

Also on this end is the row of sweet potatoes.  The vines are very lush but I also found a tuber in a hill so I have hopes for a good crop.  I will wait until frost time to dig.



The west end had a row of 20 foot elm saplings all along the asparagus  row.  This row began at the blackberry bush and ran west  to the pear tree.  The men did not paint the stumps as promised last year so they regrew like crazy.  I cut them using the chain saw like a hedge clipper yesterday morning and it went very rapidly.  I have just stacked them in the garden; the help- meet  will later load and haul them off for me.



(see the peach tree stump?  I couldn't resist leaving it for maybe a clematis to climb next year......I can always cut it down if that doesn't  work)

I also did some lopping along the garden fence and am near to having it ready to mulch again.  My heirloom rose is blooming again and looking very lovely.  No pepper scent on this one; just a strong rose fragrance. I have  done some research and believe it  to be Reines des Violette.  I know I had one.  It is nearly thornless, very fragrant and is a hybrid perpetual rose.  I need to feed  it again.  It does well in some shade and this one is.



This view is looking east along the fence.  I have just laid the lopped plants along the fence, later  to be removed (remember  when the helpmeet gets around to his part).


See that tree behind the smokehouse?  I think it needs to go!  maybe tomorrow.

Remember the three pumpkins I discovered???  Well, the possum found them too!

We have now eliminated three but there seems to be no end to them.

Oh, BTW, I did paint the stumps this morning using diesel.  That works for me often.  I didn't get spray mixed to hit the jungle behind the shop but that will be next.

I have been letting the girls come into the garden and dig and scratch.  They do love to toss that mulch around.  We are consistently getting 5 eggs from 5 hens.  Very pleased with that.

Harvest

Still enjoying perfect fall weather.  We have very little color in the trees yet and I just heard on the news that it will be late  this year because of the  weather.

We have more light showers totaling 1/2 inch.

Gardening

We have been getting so cool at nights,still no heavy frost, that I decided I better dig the sweet potatoes and harvest peppers.

They are the variety Beauregard and they are the best crop I have raised in a long time.  I always grow this variety but they were in a new spot and maybe the early rains were good for  them.  They are still laying in the garden but today I will load them; hose them off and when dry will cure them inside.  The need 80° with high humidity for 6-8 weeks.  I have never been fussy about it before but since we are cooler than usual, I will use the guest bathroom that I can get up to 80° easily.  Humidity with be pretty good too.



Each  clump represents one hill.  I may try to weigh the crop.

This is my harvest of Butternut Squash but some look very strange.  I haven't cut into one yet so don't know what I really have.



I am showing this shot so you can see the lush clump of dock....waiting for a dollop of glyphosphate. You can't dig it out because it has a monster taproot like poke weed and a tiny bit left in the ground will grow another lovely plant!



I also harvested the rest of the peppers but didn't get a picture.

Farm

For my information:  Willow was in a rip roaring heat yesterday....won't breed until her next one.

Everyday Life

We are having my MIL out for Sunday dinner again.  I am having a very simple meal of hamburger soup, corn muffins,and  lemon sponge cake.