Quote of the Day: Autumn
“At this season, change was in the air itself, the scents of ripeness and death borne on the breeze, and the breath of winter in its chill. Still, they rhythms of the turning each brought change that was expected, ordained; body and mind met it with knowledge and–on the whole–with peace.”
Diana Gabaldon in The Fiery Cross (Outlander)
I hope you are enjoying the season, whether you live in a place with fall or not. I really enjoy the beauty that comes in this season before winter. The days are colder, the leaves are falling, the garden plants have pretty much stopped growing. It’s time for rest, for gardens and gardeners alike.
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Quote of the Day: Pantry
“Winter was nearly here; the foraging was over, the garden harvested, the preserving done. The pantry shelves bulged with sacks of nuts, heaps of squash, rows of potatoes, jars of dried tomatoes, peaches, and apricot, bowls of dried mushrooms, wheels of cheese, and baskets of apples. Braids of onions and garlic and strings of dried fish hung from the ceiling; bags of flour and beans, barrels of salt cured beef and salt fish, ands tone jars of sauerkraut stood on the floor. I counted over my hoard like a squirrel reckoning nuts, and felt soothed by our abundance. No matter what else happened, we would neither starve nor go hungry.”
Diana Gabaldon in Drums of Autumn (Outlander)
I’ve been reading the ‘Outlander’ series. This weekend I happened to be reading while canning applesauce and I read this passage. I had to smile to myself, because it’s so true!
My root cellar is filled with onions and potatoes, there’s garlic in the basement, the freezer is filled with fruit, vegetables and meat, the pantry is filled with onion braids, dried apples, maple syrup, and all manner of food tucked into jars. It’s a wonderful feeling being soothed by abundance because of the hard work you put in over the summer.
Do you manage to grow enough to preserve or just enough to eat fresh in season?
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Quote of the Day: Thomas Jefferson
“I have lived temperately, eating little animal food, and that . . . as a condiment for the vegetables, which constitute my principal diet.”
-Thomas Jefferson (The Gardens of Monticello)
Is there anything more perfect than a BLT in summer? A small amount of meat and a lot of vegetables from the garden. I love to add slices of onion to my BLT, and thick slices of heirloom beefsteak tomatoes. In my mind, it’s the perfect meal for a late summer day, especially for breakfast!
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On The Road
Mr Chiots and I are traveling, he’s driving around for business, I’m taking the opportunity to visit family in Ohio. It’s nice when you can mix a business trip with a family visit, it certainly helps with travel expenses. After getting the farm set up and giving the house sitter instructions we set off yesterday morning.
While driving we listened to the audio version of The Bear in the Attic and it was FANTASTIC. The perfect road trip book. We have a few others as well, one we started and couldn’t get into it. Thank goodness for the local library and audio books!!!
Do you have a favorite audio book you listen to while traveling?
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Stop By…
If you’re going to be at the Mother Earth News Fair in Seven Spring, PA next Weekend (Sept. 18-20), stop by and visit Mr Chiots at The Jojoba Company booth. You might get lucky and see me as well (or give him a message and we can meet up)! If you’re interested, you can also pick up some of the lotion bars, lotion tins, or lip balm that I made for them.
I made some of these bars for a blog post for a client and gave them away as gift. Everyone loved them so much that the company asked me and a friend to make up a batch for them to sell. If they sell well then it looks like I might have another small side business. So swing by and pick up a few if you’ll be at the fair, I guarantee you’ll LOVE these beauties!!!
Are you doing any traveling in the near future?
