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Wonderful late-autumn day in south-central Wisconsin today... brisk and cool, with that deep blue sky that makes the crimson and gold leaves so bright they almost hurt your eyes. I love November.
The Farmers' Market was busy on this next-to-last week of the outdoor market, though there aren't as many stands at this time of year as there are in July. This week's CSA box included Brussels sprouts, carrots, potatoes, baby beets, spinach, leeks, garlic, sweet potatoes, delicata squash, kabocha squash and flowering kale - what a glorious haul! We'll use the potatoes and one of the leeks in a cauldron of clam chowder for supper tonight, I think, with some good crusty bread. Of course, we had to stock up on more apples: half a peck of Winesap for eating and half a peck of Cortlands for applesauce and pies. And we picked up some chicken from our usual meat vendor, and confirmed that they'll have our 25-pound turkey ready for us to pick up next week. Oh, and a wonderful little chili ristra with pine sprigs and pine cones, for our side door holiday decoration.
This afternoon was a full one. The daughter and her sig other picked up the keys to their apartment yesterday, so the stacks of boxes in the living room are finally beginning to migrate 15 miles or so east of here... hallelujah!! They'll be moving boxes and small stuff all this week (hopefully actually putting it away once they get it to the apartment, but knowing my daughter, I am not sanguine about that possibility) and then renting the truck next Saturday for the big stuff. Our liberation is finally at hand! Though I shouldn't say that too loudly, as she's moved out twice before and come back both times.
Today was squash-roasting day at the BookWorm household. In addition to the kabocha and the delicata we got today, we also had a big butternut from a couple of weeks ago, and our two pie pumpkins. Got the biggest butcher knife out after lunch and hacked 'em all in half, scooped out the seeds, and roasted them cut-side down in a pan (with a bit of water to keep them from drying out) for a couple of hours at 300. We ran the pumpkin through the food processor, since even those little pie pumpkins are pretty fibrous and stringy, and now we've got it draining in muslin in the sink. Pumpkin has a lot of water, which is fine if you're just stewing it up as a side dish, but it needs to be a bit drier for pie. The rest of them are pureed, loaded up in Zip-locks and in the freezer waiting for a bitterly cold January night when we need a warm, spicy bit of sunshine added to the supper table.
And while the squash were roasting, we raked leaves.... again. Between the maple and the ash in our back yard, the maple in the next-door neighbor's yard, the maple in the yard behind us, the birches in our front yard, and the occasional random leaves that blow in from farther afield, it generally takes us at least two or three afternoons over the course of a month or so to clear all the fallen vegetation from our yard. And the funny and kind of embarrassing thing about it is that I actually enjoy it. That was one of the things I missed the most when we lived in south Texas, and one of the things I looked forward to when we moved back. The cool, crisp air, cold ears and nose, the smell of the leaves, the kids in the next yard hollering and laughing, and another swath of green grass reappearing with each sweep of the rake collecting the golden detritus of the maples and birches - it's a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.
And then finally, there's another huge mound of leaves at the curb, the rakes are hung back up in the garage and the lawns are bare again, and we come back inside and pull the roasted squash out of the oven to scoop the golden goodness into the freezer bags for later this winter. And then out come the potatoes and leeks and clams, and we get the cauldron out of the basement, and start a big pot of chowder for supper.
Good eating, all, and enjoy your Saturday evening. And remember to turn those clocks back and sleep in an extra hour tomorrow morning!
Location: Finally made it to Florida and lovin' every minute!
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DH made baked haddock (which was out of this world for some reason!), steamed broccoli and brussel sprouts and I threw together a tossed salad. Hmmmm... I think there's a chocolate sundae w/peanuts calling my name. Gotta run!
Midwestern-We've been baking up a bunch of various types of squash and some pie pumpkins lately too. Our freezer is well stocked with them. We live in the country so we don't bother raking the leaves, we'll just mow them over before snowfall. The kids have been having fun raking them into piles and jumping into them though!
I baked some whole wheat bread today, so the wonderful smell of that is what was filling our house today. Right now I have a Steak and Cheese Pie in the oven, it's a new recipe for me. It smells goooooood!
fried chicken n cold slaw with roll a late lunch with a friend in the mountains.
a pretty fall day.
see the village in thread for photos. followed by a ferocious madminton game on the patio.
We just arrived home from a brat party and I'm pleasantly plump from it. Chocolate everywhere and I guess I am fully loaded at the moment. The fresh slaw was a special treat as where the richly baked beans. After all this I think I will go peacefully into the night. See yaz tomorrow.
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