Too Many To-Do’s

There’s so much to do in the fall garden. With all of the canning & preserving, I’ve spent most of my time indoors trying to make sure we can continue eating locally this winter. So my list of to-do’s in the garden keeps getting longer and longer. What is on that list?

I’m sure I’ll keep adding more as I cross things off, I don’t know if I’ll get it all finished this fall.

So what does your to-do list look like for this fall?

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For the Love of Popeye

My spinach seeds germinated wonderfully. I’m guessing I had about a 90% germination rate, which is great. When the plants grow a little bigger, I’ll use the thinnings as baby spinach – yum yum.

Hopefully these will mean delicious spinach salads late into fall and if I mulch it well, we’ll be able to eat spinach very early next spring. I’ll keep you posted.

Anyone else growing winter greens?

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Algonquin Mill Festival

If you live in NE Ohio, this coming weekend (October 10-12) is the Algonquin Mill Festival. It’s always a must visit for us every year. If you’re free head down for a few hours. We’ll be heading down Sunday afternoon for sure.

It’s a great little festival with steam engines large & small, a steam powered saw mill which is incredible and kind of scary all at the same time. They sell delicious pancakes made with freshly ground flour from the mill, so make sure you save room for those. They also have horses pressing sorghum that’s boiled down into sorghum molasses that you can buy (which makes a delicious sorghum pecan pie – no corn syrup needed).

Anyone else have any local fall festival that’s a must visit?

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Quote of the Day

This is why I buy local foods.

Close proximity to the source of food affords the best chance of appreciating food as it is born to be. It is no coincidence that fish tastes better near the sea, that wine is at its best when drawn directly from the cellar where it was raised, and tomatoes are the most succulent when pulled from your own backyard vines. When we eat “at the source,” we experience food in its most natural setting and the scents surrounding it blend comfortably and unforgettably with the meal itself. Having had these experiences even once sets a standard that later makes us nostalgic for what is missing. For the cook who knows the difference, the trouble lies in both seeking out and preserving the native quality of food.

-Paul Bertolli (Cooking by Hand)

I think this is why my tomatoes are so tasty, they’re grown 5-25 feet away from the kitchen. I also think this is why my Farmer’s Market produce is so delicious. So what do you think? Does fish really taste better by the sea? I know I’ve had some pretty delicious lobster rolls up in Maine.

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Feels like Fall

It feels like fall here in NE Ohio. Tonight the Weather Channel is forecasting lows in the 30’s. There is a definite crispness in the air and when I look outside I notice my lawn is getting littered with leaves. The coloring of the leaves is definitely the harbinger of autumn.

I’m both happy and sad that fall & winter are coming. Happy because I love fall & winter. I love the colors and tastes of autumn, the beautiful leaves, the smell of cinnamon and apples, pumpkin pies and hot cider and the crispness in the air. I always feel like baking this time of year (Mr Chiots is happy about that!).

I’m sad because it marks the end of the gardening season (at least in theory). I’ll still be gardening late into November, planting garlic, composting, clearing out beds, mulching weeding and planting. But soon enough all those chores will be finished and the garden will be dormant until spring.

What do you like & dislike about this season?

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