Decisions, decisions

Lynne called my squash "darling! They actually are only about 6 or 7 inches long which is why they seem so cute! With the wet spring that we had, they didn't really get going very early so although they are mature and ready to eat, they're pretty small for squash. Next year, maybe I will try to start seeds inside first and then set them out when the ground has warmed. The decision part is this - do I use them all up mixed in with some additional squash for the big Thanksgiving dinner? Or use squash from the store to make these last a little longer - a few at a time for smaller meals? I think I can't let go of them all at once so I guess I will ration them out over the next month or so. Happy Thanksgiving!

Meatballs and More

Meatballs and meatloaf and chili oh my! I stopped at PT Farms in No. Haverhill last weekend and got some amazing ground beef, 10 pounds of it! It was fresh, lean and hormone and antibiotic free - I couldn't resist. So then I had the fun of trying to figure out what to do with all of that. A double batch of meatballs, a meatloaf to freeze, cooked ground beef for chili and the rest was frozen up in packages for future use. The first batch of meatballs was very tasty, true comfort food. It's a treat to find such a great source of natural beef, pork and lamb. I also have some fresh kielbasa, breakfast sausage and ground pork in the freezer to try soon too!

Knitter's Paradise

Three days of Stitches East in Hartford, CT this year was awesome. Close to home so we didn't even have to fly this year. The classes were great - I learned some new techniques like mitered triangles and entrelac and the market was amazing as always. Picture a huge convention center auditorium filled with vendors of a knitter's favorite things, patterns, needles, buttons and most of all beautiful yarn everywhere. I took this picture before my friends told me that they were confiscating cameras for any unauthorized pictures. I guess they didn't want vendors taking pictures of their competition! I was trying to be good in the market as I already have many, many, many skeins of yarn so...I only bought enough for a sweater, a jacket and a scarf! :) Now I am also excited to finish up Level II of my Master Knitter Certification and hope to do that in the next few weeks. Then take a break before starting Level III, the final level.

Okay, so my pictures are reversed! Part of doing the blog for me is just learning how to do it. I guess I better work on that part.

Before & After

Well, the wood was delivered a few weeks ago and one of my favorite fall chores (especially on a cool day) is stacking wood. I know, my kids think I'm crazy. It's good exercise and such a nesting activity preparing for cold weather that I really enjoy it. Wood heat is the best too - very warm. Dinner tonight was baked ham, mashed potatoes and zucchini - I guess it's time for comfort food too.

Soup Season

Fall is great for many things - sweaters, fires in the woodstove and beautiful scenery among them. It's also great for homemade soups! I made a Garlicky White Bean Soup the other day from Ken Haedrich's book Soup Makes the Meal. I cheated and used canned organic white kidney beans as I didn't have time for soaking beans but it turned out great just the same. I used the last of the fresh tomatoes and some fresh rosemary that so far has braved the cold just fine. A great day is one with homemade hot soup, a fire in the stove and time to knit!

Racing the Frost

I got home from work late tonight (surprise) and it was already very dark. I knew that I needed to get the rest of the veggies out of the garden soon or they would freeze into the ground and I wouldn't be able to pull them out (like last year!). So, tonight I grabbed a box and a flashlight and was digging up beets, carrots and swiss chard like a maniac. I sure hope the taste of these veggies are worth it! Then I got some wood stacked in the garage and now it's time for "Grey's Anatomy".

Dinner time!

Well, the zucchini dish was delicious! We used onions and green peppers from the CSA and zucchini from the garden. The picture looks a little blurry because the steam was still coming off the dish - we didn't want it to cool down before we ate it! We covered the zucchini plants tonight as it's supposed to frost, I feel like I'm squeezing as much life out of them as I can.

A Few Left

There's still zucchini out there! Maybe that's one of the benefits of having such a wet spring and early summer, the garden produces later into the fall. There are also a few cucumbers hiding under some really ugly looking plants. I'm not sure why I get such a thrill picking things in the garden. The other day I went down to pick a few things even though I really didn't need any more veggies in the fridge. It just had been a few days since I had been able to do that so I did. We're going to try cooking up some zucchini with green peppers and onions, something we had at the Appleseed Restaurant the other night that was delicious!