Season's Ending

 There was a forecast for frost last night so Jeff spent yesterday afternoon cleaning the garden. All the green waste went into the compost bin filling up one side.  Jeff wants to till the garden over before covering it with leaves for the winter but that won't be today.  We've got beets, beans, carrots, kohlrabi, celery and bell peppers waiting for us on the porch to process (that's the old propane stove to the side). While Jeff was busy outside,  I picked...and cleaned...and cut up enough carrots to fill 9 pints and then Jeff walked me thru processing them.  It still scares me to use the pressure canner alone. There are probably enough carrots left(center left of photo) for another pint. These bell peppers(lower) are beautiful but this season was so screwy we had to forget about the dozen or so others that were just forming. They are big and heavy...rather like the ones that go for $1.59 each at Walmart.  I think today we will be busy canning the beets and beans.  Jeff wants to try cooking the beet and carrot greens or dehydrating them to use in soup but they're so high in Vitamin K I can't even think about eating any right now...my clotting factor is messed up again and we're adjusting dosage again.  Between my clotting factor and Jeff's blood sugar we can't seem to keep our numbers in the normal range for very long.

 Last night I made beef stew using our carrots and celery and it came pretty good.  Fanny got to finish the gravy on her dry dog food this morning!

We had a beautiful fire in the new stove yesterday...and the stove radiated heat long after we stopped feeding. We didn't even put a dent in the stack of wood Jeff had brought in.  We still have to get some hard wood for this winter.

Jeff and Wally from next door took the utility trailer loaded with trash to the Town Barn yesterday.  It's 'free trash' days  (got to get something for our tax $$'s).  Probably saved us about $30...plus gas...going there instead of taking it to the dumping station in Utica.  We still have paint cans...hazardous waste...to take up there.

The shop, Cooper Country Crafts, is doing a Shop-Around at the Brookwood School in Cooperstown today. (www.thebrookwoodschool.org)  I sent a couple of sweater sets, cotton pumpkin bib & hat sets, and some baby hats...about $100 of knitting.  Judy and Sharon were going to 'man' the booth and are taking a sprinkling of merchandise from the shop.  Since the shoppers at this are locals it is really an advertising event for us.  They asked for a donation for their auction and we decided one of the woodcarver's door signs would attract the most attention.   Hope they have a good day and a fair number of shoppers find their way back to the shop! When Mr Jeff lets me out of the farm kitchen I have to get back to knitting.  I got half of a pair of socks done for him, 3/4 of a sheep sweater set and more of the baby hats for the shop waiting for me.  I guess I better get busy!