Spooky!

A whole herd of these pumpkin-like squash mysteriously appeared on my back stoop on Halloween. No note. No phone call. Spooky! They appeared to be freshly cut from their vines, so I bet they're from a big-garden buddy.

I grabbed the biggest one (about the size of my head) that looked most like a pumpkin, and took it to The Chatterbox. I planned to carve a scary face and leave it for a Halloween night decoration. So I spread my newspapers on one of the patio tables and tried to cut the top off. I could not! That baby was solid! I needed a crowbar to pop the lid. Further exploration showed the seed core was about the size of my fist. The flesh part was nearly three inches thick! Oh, what beautiful flesh it was! This squash had a higher calling than decoration. It was destined to be dinner!

I'm sorry David, Chatterbox owner, missed the comical carving attempt. He was home donning his Sarah Palin costume for the evenings festivities. I hope there are photos!

After seeing the inside of the squash, I'm betting it was from my buddy, Rich. I bet it's this year's incarnation of his family's (ahem) illegitimate squash. His grandma saved seed her whole life. Now he and his dad save seed. The squash has cross-polinated every summer for gerenations. They never know what the squash will look like when they plant the saved seeds. But it's a good bet it will be tasty in all pumpkin recipes. I've had their illegitimate squash before. That year the flesh was orange. This year it is more yellow.

I brought my squash home and baked it. I cut the flesh off the lid piece and diced it. I baked it with some brown sugar, butter and a squeeze of lime juice. It was so delicious I ate all I could. There's enough left for two more meals! That was just the lid! The rest of the squash will become soup or a casserole or a dessert - maybe all three.

Here are some Fall sights around Kay's Leaning Tree Farm.

This is my little sugar maple. I caught a glimpse of it while pulling okra stalks out of the front garden. My bonfire pit is just to the left of this photo. I'll cut down my sorghum stalks today, so there's another entertaining fire in the making.


My burning bush is really on fire!

A few anemones popped open to cheer me. I guess it's Indian Summer.

This is the seed pod on my unusual dogwood.

The raccoon has been gleaning my last tomatoes. Of course, he washes them in the pond before eating. He spits out the seeds. That's okay. A flock of robins used my pond for a bird bath this morning. They ate the seeds.

Daddy Cat says, "I don't know who brought them. They just appeared. Halloween magic, I guess."

Popping Sorghum

I was beginning to wonder about my sorghum crop. The stalks had grown over seven feet tall, but there was no sign of the grains I coveted. I waited. I waited some more. Just last week the first tassels appeared!


Within a couple of days, many of my stalks were sprouting tassels. They are heavy with grain. The plants are now eight feet tall. The grains need to ripen before harvest. I'm not sure how long. I'll do a little research. I think I have figured out a plan to remove the grains. I plan to put several tassels inside a clean pillow case and beat them against a rock. Sounds logical to me, but this is my first sorghum crop. Let me know if you have better idea.

My pole bean tower looks miniature in the background.

This is a baby squash. It's either a cucuzzi or a tromboncino. They are nearly the same squash, but tromboncino has a bulbous end, like a trombone. Cucuzzi does not. I planted both varieties. One has survived. I guess I'll know which one when that first one ripens. Two vining squash plants have taken over the pond garden. I'm trying to keep the vines from heading onto the grass at the bottom of the hill. I'd like to keep them safely out of mowing range. Above the pond, they are crossing the sidewalk and may be heading into the house soon. Eeek!

For months this plant has produced only vines, HUGE leaves and blooms. I'm happy it's finally setting fruit.

I'm still picking tomatoes every day. These little Roma tomatoes are called "Juliet." I peeled and quartered them and put them in a jar of cider vinegar to soak for a few days. The vinegar draws out the tomato "plasma" and tomato flavor. It makes a tasty vinaigrette!

I got a deal on some red raspberries at my little fruit market - six pints for $5! After paying $3 for one pint of blackberries at the chic farmers market, I couldn't pass up this bargain. A few of the berries were past their prime, but most were still perfect. They are jelly now.

Since my pectin experiments all resulted in itchy skin, I've gone back to my pioneer jelly recipe - 1 cup of fruit or juice, 3/4/ to 1 cup sugar, a squeeze of lime juice. Bring to a boil then simmer until the mixture coats the spoon and only three drops fall. Then I skim the foam, put it in jars and process for 10 minutes.

Here's a creamy yellow zinnia with bonus flowers inside.

I'm still picking beans nearly every day. We've had some cool nights, so the tomatoes are setting on their late fruit. I'm overstocked on cute lavender eggplant. I can't give them away! Once again, I wish you lived on my street so I could leave some on your doorstep. I have a million baby squash on my miles of vines. If even half of them mature, I'll be seriously overloaded!