Cutting up the Pumpkins

Lately I have been cutting a LOT of pumpkin and making everything I can think of to make with pumpkin puree! Here is what I found some of the pumpkins and squash to look like as I cut into them...I can't believe how gorgeous the color is! And I can't believe that my warty girl and Cinderella pumpkin's seeds were starting to sprout.Amazing!!

Delicata Harvest 2010

All of the pumpkins...well almost....

Here are almost all of the pumpkins we grew this year, two had already been given away at this point, so I would say we have a pretty successful pumpkin year!

When the garden gives you an abundence of carrots...

YOU MAKE CARROT CAKE!!!!!

* These are the carrots that my gurl grew in her own 2ft. by 2 ft. garden bed...I still have to pull the 8 rows that I planted!!!

MMMM.....

Garden Stroll

Here are a few pictures from my stroll through the garden this morning. I am starting to get very excited since I have harvested my first tomatoes this week as well as pounds of arugula, swiss chard, kale and now a few summer squash. It is once again extremely hot and humid today and although I need to finish weeding I think I am going to sit at the sewing machine today and finish up some projects. More on that later this week!

The Pumpkins

Here is the first pumpkin in the pumpkin patch. I can't believe how crazy the pumpkins are this year, thanks to all of the humidity and rain they are out of control and I hope to get a good picture from one of the windows on the second floor so you can see just how HUGE these pumpkin plants are.

A Stroll Through the Garden

Tiger Lillies

Honeycrisp Apple Tree

Fig Tree

Wild Arugula

Kale and Chamomile

Rose Bush

Borage

White Echinacea

All in a week!

I decided to post this picture from my boy's third birthday because I love it! I love the look on his face, love the candles in the dark and LOVED the carrot ginger cake w/cream cheese frosting! Happy Birthday little man. Can't believe it has been 3 years already!

SO much going on this last week and everything that I want to write about, well, just don't have the energy or the time. Here is a condensed version and I hope to write more at a later point about alla this!

• the Barbie went "away"


• the boy turned three


• all of the remants of last years beauty in the garden have been removed


• the garden has received a healthy dose of compost


• the peas, sweet pea flowers, spinach, persian cress and garbanzo beans have been planted.


• started the tomato, eggplant & basil seeds


• finally sewed an apron for myself and some yoga bags


• and I received word that I have been accepted to a WGST graduate program and offered a graduate assistant position for fall of 2010.

My head is spinning from the overload of information that I have gained this week-primarily on food issues and gardening. I hope to post some about that this weekend, but I have a very sick boy to take care of and cuddles and lovin' are on the top of the list!

One Amazing Squash!

This is a Candy Roaster Winter Squash that I harvested from my garden last fall. I finally put it to use last week and here is what this beautiful, delicious squash became....

The beginnings of soup,

The soup as it is coming together...


And it's finished...Madras Curry Spiced Squash Soup

And then there was the salad. I tossed some cubed squash in canola oil and maple syrup and a few red pepper flakes and then roasted them in the oven and threw them in a salad with sheep's milk feta, toasted pepitas, currants, red onion and a maple syrup vinaigrette. MMMMM....

And then the cookies.....

And then I STILL had some cubed squash left over so I made a squash & chickpea curry.



And I still had enough pureed squash to give away a pint and freeze another 2 pints. That was one AMAZING squash!

And more tomatoes....

Oven-Roasting to store for winter....

This is how my table is at this exact moment due to the fact that there was a frost warning for last night.

Tomatoes, Tomatoes, Tomatoes

Cookin' up something

I have been spending a lot of time in the kitchen lately cooking, canning and baking with all of the beautiful produce that the garden and local markets have sent my way...here is what has been on our table...



Fresh Arugula w/ local strawberries, goat cheese, e.v.o.o. and white balsamic fig infused vinegar





Mixed beets, carrots and red onion roasted in e.v.o.o., salt and fennel pollen



Rustic Swiss Chard tart with goat cheese and an oatmeal crust

A beautiful loaf of "No-knead" bread that I proudly made

and my new favorite dessert, a plum kuchen

There is a chill in the air

By the chill in the air right now you would guess it to be late September or maybe even early October, but it is August. That is right it is the end of August, cloudy, rainy and 63 degrees. We have had a our fair share of cool weather this month. I can't say that I am sad about that.This typical fall weather always puts me at ease; helps me move a little slower and also helps me to regain focus. But even though I love sitting here on my couch with the cool air pouring through my house and the smell of chai simmering on my stove and being bundled up in sweat pants and wool socks, I can't help but feel a little cheated out of summer this year. The weather has been perfect by my standards (mostly in the mid-70s to mid-80s) my garden's full potential has been lost. It is in all of it's beauty and still offers our family so much, but I still can't help but to think that so many large and glorious heirloom tomatoes may never nourish my body and soul. And my new budding figs...oh how I have fussed over them this summer and hope to have the experience of picking and savoring a ripe fig from my very own tree. But there is a chill in the air and my body tells me to rest, to forget about tending to the garden's needs right now and instead tend to my own.

Life goes on

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your kind thoughts, prayers and energy that so many of you have been sending our way. Greg is almost fully recovered and we are finally starting to get back on a schedule, well, kind of...it is summer. As July approaches quickly, we are trying to find a good balance between catching up on the rest that we all need and getting ready for a week in NYC without the kids and then off to northern Michigan for a family vacation.



This year I have found that I am spending way too much time weeding my garden and worrying over my wimpy tomato plants. Due to the lack of heat this summer the tomatoes are taking forever to grow. My plants were pretty small to begin with since I have refused to buy grow lights, but I am now thinking that next spring I will be making that investment.


I have harvested almost 7 pounds of sugar snap peas and I think the gurl and boy ate about 2-3 pounds while playing outside every day. They loved sitting in the pea patch and snacking, and I loved watching them do so!



At this point my lettuce is still kickin' strong and I have harvested almost 4 pounds of lettuce (which is A LOT) and about 3 pounds of arugula. My beets, carrots and onions are doing wonderful and I hope to have pictures soon of some of those harvests along with the garlic that will soon be harvested.

It is finally starting to feel like summer and I am excited to see what challenges, changes and experiences that July offers.