We definitely got a killing freeze. I haven't toured yet to see what got wiped out. I do know most of the things I was wanting didn't get to the mature seed stage.
The sun is shining and it is a perfectly glorious fall day; just cold.
Have a whole frozen chick in boiling now. I will be making a chicken pot pie for dinner. I do it the easy way with just adding the veggies and topping with biscuits.
I am using the last of my pie crust from the freezer to make an apricot cobbler. I think it may be my favorite. This was the first really nice crop we have ever had from our tree.
I will be making the recipe of crust again to freeze. DH is wanting fried pies and I think this crust would work OK for that. I may just fry a couple and bake the rest like tarts or turnovers.
I am currently heating the oven for the pie and taking advantage of that to re-season my cast iron skillet. I am using grapeseed oil this time as suggested on another forum.
I may have the in-laws out if I can get the chicken done soon enough....it will be an impromptu meal and invite.
Menu:
Chicken pot pie with a side of chunky homemade applesauce
Apricot Cobbler
Well, I did have them out. They had a doctor's appointment, but we just delayed the meal for a short while.
I tested the baked pie tart with Nathan's crust and used my plum jam as a filling. It worked beautifully. I made DH share it with me.
I thought the chicken pie was a little dry; normally I don't thicken my broth and won't the next time either!
Saturday, 10/30/10
Put the halter on the ornery calf...Milked
Then I spent a good two hours sawing down the very tall weeds in the 'new bed' outside the kitchen and patio area. Now all that is left is close raking and cleaning which I probably won't even do. I think I have a before picture from a day or two ago when showing the hoop house. It is the bed in the foreground.
This is one bed I plan on reducing greatly by mowing out the center part next season. I will leave the narrow, rock edged border because it has mums, peonies and iris in it and a couple of roses and a buddleia.
That is a seedling peach tree that I plan to top in December when the tree is fully dormant and see what happens. I dumped my peelings and pits a few years ago and decided to let this one grow on.
I saw two of these giant mantises and had to take a picture. They are the largest ones I have ever seen, 4-5 inches long and in fall camouflage. I saw lots of egg cases on the weeds I cut down, but there are lots of others on other plants so I should be set for hatch next spring.
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