I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.
John Burroughs

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

Harvesting....

 September.... sunny days of yellow, gold, and fading greens.

The red maples along the edge are starting to turn a dark burgundy colour. From waking up time, until the daylight grows, and the sun finally peeks through the trees, the length of darkness stretches so much longer. The overnight temperatures are creeping ever downward, now in the high single digits C. (high 40's F) and the mornings are very dew wet. We are watching the forecasts for the first frost warnings. 

Fall colours are showing up, mostly on the red maples, the tips of branches here and there, sometimes a whole red branch, and in lower, wet places along the highways, whole blazing red trees. All the trees are looking more faded, their greens dulled down from the glorious green of spring and summer.

Timing is everything, they say. Well, here is the dill, ready, finally.

and here is the cucumber bed...dismantled!

A neighbour dropped in and we sent her away with bags of ripe tomatoes, a big bunch of lovely straight, unmolested carrots from the second planting. (no sign of any carrot maggots in this crop), a bunch of peppers and some of the long mauve eggplants that are crowding this most beautiful specimen of a plant.


The buckwheat grew up rapidly, 12 to 15 inches high,
and started to put out buds. We turned it over and chopped in all the greenery.

What on earth will I do with all of these?

Cayennes. I had this thought of drying, and powdering them for my own cayenne pepper....but how much does one need?? 

We are in the middle of apple season, the shelves are filling, applesauce, apple jelly and dried slices,


and I think I have enough frozen slices for pies and crisps now. One of our trees bears the most pretty, pink-fleshed (and delicious) apples.

The tall ladder lashed securely into the back of the truck is still a difficult way to harvest from the tops of these old, old trees.

We've ordered an apple picking pole. Why we haven't done that before is a mystery!

5 comments:

  1. Ha! Even with an apple picking pole, you're gonna have trouble reaching all those high-growing apples! Love the picture of your canned goods. As good as seeing a wood shed full of wood. How much cayenne pepper does one need? Not as much as YOU can grow and make! Why did you dismantle the cucumber bed? I talked with two other gardeners in this area (there aren't many of us) and no one had luck growing dill this year. What's with that? Your crop of buckwheat is gorgeous, and does so much for the soil. Still lots to do in the garden this time of year, isn't there? (Puff, puff.)

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    1. Yes, MP. We'll still be lashing and climbing the ladder to reach those apples, I am sure! There are some that are always, just out of reach, so the pole will help with that. That particular tree was so hard to prune, and needs a LOT of work. The whole middle should be majorly cut out, but think it would be a job for professionals. All the other trees are smaller, and much easier to pick apples from. Cucs were done, leaves brown and curling from mildew(?). The dill was good, but took sooo loonng to mature. Just out with a clipboard and pen, making a list and numbering all the jobs, priority-wise. Soon, soon, we can relax out of gardening mode!

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  2. oh wow, that is tricky business. Be safe

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  3. Forgot to mention, I got a phone number for the yarn shop in B.B. 6133341606. She was just advertising new stock on her F.B. page.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Karen. Be glad to finish wading through all these apples and now tomatoes...crafting time is coming!

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