Slow Cooking

Since Liz moved back home in December, meals have gotten so much better for all of us. She made a tasty Moroccan Stew on the wood stove and served it with jasmine rice. I must say that it is wonderful to walk into the house at the end of the day and smell dinner already done.

Putting the Garden to Sleep

I don't ever remember being so sad about removing spent flowers from the garden. This year was different because of the wedding and all of the wonderful memories. Alas, the work needed to be done. The sunflowers were reluctant to be released from their strong grip in the soil even though they looked like goners. I felt like I was pulling teeth. The zinnias went more easily. Three more quadrants need to be done but it was a start last Sunday. Anne found one last bouquet of straw flowers to take home and dry for winter enjoyment.

Grapes that really smell like grapes .......

Earlier this month Anne and I went to Eddy's Fruit Farm in Chesterland to pick Concord grapes. We picked 26 pounds which we made into 20 pints of the best-smelling jelly ever. Thanks to Joan Elliott's juice extractor from Finland, the work was made easy. I meant to include a picture of that contraption, but we were too busy the rest of the day to remember to take any pictures!

Then there were the tomatoes........

We were lucky not to have lost our tomato crop to late blight, as many neighbors did. Considering that we grew so many flowers for the wedding, it was amazing to get any tomatoes at all. There is nothing quite as nice as smelling chili sauce simmering. (Well, pumpkin pie, Jim Lahey's bread or pizza with fresh pesto are pretty nice, too.) Had to make some salsa for the dead of winter, too.

Fall is here, nights are getting cold, and Terry's focus has moved to the re-building of the shed. The garden is going to sleep soon, but not before we pick the rest of beets, carrots and lettuce. The rain has perked up the rhubarb.... but wait, I think I still have frozen rhubarb from last year. There aren't enough hours in the day to get to all of this.

Pears

While Anne was still home, but before she left for Indiana to learn all about making goat cheese, we harvested the pears. Last year I learned that you have to pick them BEFORE they ripen or else they rot from the inside out. So, by testing them with a sideways turn, you take the ones that snap off at the stem. We picked enough to make 41 pints.

Anne made puff pastry on top of which she spread almond cream and poached pears. Grandaisy, this is your loss!

Life After the Wedding

I can't believe that it was Aug. 5 since I last updated this. I have been busy...really. My part-time job gets in the way of doing fun things. The beets just kept on coming after the wedding. Hannah and I spent a day pickling 52 pints using two recipes - one plain , the other with spices. We are enjoying them in salads and sandwiches. Hannah is worried that we didn't make enough.

Mark and Patty Jenks' Artistry

The wedding arch was crafted by good friends of Hannah and Ian's. The structure in the back had metal tiles wired to the frame, two "hands" holding a candle and a bell at the top. Just before the ceremony Patty added fresh flowers. As if that was not enough,Mark also made a"Wish Basket" which was planted in the lower perennial garden. Attached to the frame was a clipboard with papers and pens so that guests could write their wishes for Hannah and Ian and put them into the basket made of rusted garden fencing. Mark made the wire look as soft as fabric. Eventually, these will go to Hannah and Ian's yard in Tremont, but until then, we are enjoying this very special garden art.