The Last Harvest Basket

This is it...the very last harvest basket from this years garden...

...a few more beans, 1 squash bloom and 2 dozen carrots with greens.

But it's not the end of the garden...we harvested all the remaining green been vines (frost and maybe even snow flurries where we are) to hang them in the basement and allow the remaining beans to mature so we can use the seeds next year.

We've never done this before, but what we've learned is if you pull up by the roots and hang them upside down, the beans will continue to get nutrients for a while...

...we have to wait to harvest the pods until they are brown and we can hear the beans shake inside.  You may be wondering why we didn't harvest those 2 green beans to eat now...because the vines are now "old" the beans are a little tough and not as sweet as they used to be...and because we had such a great harvest with these varieties this year, we want to be sure we can grow them again next year.  It's possible some of the green beans will not mature to the point that the seeds mature, but we're OK with taking the chance.  We've also left a few small bean plants that have no beans in the ground so we can see what frost and freezing temperatures will do to them. 

In fact, there are still a few blooms left on a few plants to enjoy...when I think about these little blooms turning into delicious beans I'm filled with awe at the wonders of nature...amazingly beautiful and perfect!

I have to admit, it was a hard walk back to the cabin from the garden today...Johny and I hugged as we congratulated ourselves on our awesome garden this year and all the great preserved produce we will continue to enjoy throughout the winter...the fun we will have planting next year's garden with the seeds we have and will be saving...the work still to be done in cleaning up the stubborn weeds and preparing the garden for winter's rest...and still I gulped as a few tears formed (it felt a little like saying goodbye to something I've given my heart and soul to for a while)...I can say woo hoo for no more weeding for a while (ha ha, maybe that's one of the reasons I enjoy winter so much!).

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

Garden Musings

We've enjoyed this year's garden tremendously...we still are, but the season's quickly coming to a close...frost and below freezing temps are expected around here in the next few days.  I feel a little sad knowing that soon, our productive garden will be resting in preparation for next year...and though we'll continue to enjoy our garden produce through everything I've preserved, there's something to be said for enjoying nature's bounty.  Until next year... 

We harvested another full basket of beans and still have blooms and small sprouts still striving to reach maturity...we'll pick them the day before frost is expected.

The Snap Bush Strike beans I sowed while participating in the Blind Pig and the Acorn seed project are still producing beautifully. 

When we harvest all the remainder of the maturing beans, we are also going to uproot all the bean vines that have pods we've been saving for seeds, and hang them upside down in the basement (Mountain Man learned of this so we are trying it...you want to wait until the beans have yellowed before taking from the stalk and saving the seeds) and we will be planting them next year.  We are going to look for one additional bean variety...one that remains stringless...I'm still working on  my bean stringing technique, my success rate is not very good...

We still have gorgeous squash blooms...now that we know they won't be producing fruit we can pick them for use in salads...

...or for stuffing with cheese.  I'll wait to harvest them until right before I'm ready to use them so they are just picked fresh.

We harvested the rest of our red potatoes today...

 ...it's extremely gratifying to push the soil around with your hands and come upon the little spuds nesting in the ground...can't wait to eat them!

We also harvested our sweet potatoes...we only planted one seed potato which resulted in a good harvest...

 ...even though they were funny looking.

I'd say our harvest today was at least 12 pounds of spuds (this picture is both the sweet and red potatoes).

I spotted one more tiny watermelon that was hanging on the outside of the fence...unfortunately it was already soft and rotting, so back into the garden it went...compost for next year.

I also decided to cut the corn stalks (Johny did the cutting for me) and create a fall decoration with them...

 ...I stuck a few red leaves in the bunch and thought it looked festive...

 ...but then I found some of my friend Bertie's Hydrangea cuttings and used some of those instead...

...I like it.

Is your garden still producing or is it resting up for next year?

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

Learning, Loving, Living

I'm a lucky girl...I love the life I live and am thankful for the opportunities that come my way.  Yesterday, I attended an excellent panel discussion about Publishing sponsored by the NC Writers Circle...and the drive through the mountains was pretty awesome too...

...a beautiful lake surrounded by mountains...

 ...cows in a pasture surrounded by mountains...

 ...vistas with mountains surrounded by mountains...

...autumn's colors sprouting all around me...

...it was a very relaxing drive.

The panel discussion was exactly what I needed...I've been thinking about writing a book for a long time...ever since I started living this log cabin life...but I've always been intimidated by what I didn't know about what to do with the book once it was written, so I kept the ideas spinning in my head instead of putting the words in print.  A few weeks ago, I started putting the words down...OK, I wrote about six sentences and then stopped...I've been reading Glenda Beall's blogs for a while now (she's the Director of Writers Circle) and there I learned about this panel discussion...what better time than now to learn what to do next with the book I'm going to write...let me restate that, am writing.  I'd never met Glenda though we correspond through our blogs...I was excited about what I would learn but also about meeting her.  I was not disappointed.  When I arrived, I introduced myself to Glenda who responded with a big smile and a warm hug...I knew I was in exactly the right place!

The discussion was well attended and very informative.

The panelists (seated from left to right) Nadine Justice, Kathryn Magendie, and Maren Mitchell shared their experiences with publishing (Nadine and Maren are self published and Kathryn is published through a publishing house).  Glenda (at the podium) is a writer, poet and teacher, and in addition to directing the Writers Circle she writes the Writing Life Stories blog.  

The most important things I learned?  First...write.  Second...edit for structure, edit for content, edit professionally...edit some more.  Third...develop a marketing plan.  Fourth...publish.  Sounds easy enough...I'm excited about the new enthusiasm I have for writing my book(s) and am truly grateful to have met all these talented women.  Glenda, a special thank you to you for your encouragement!  I'm so happy to have met you...I believe this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship:)

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

Winding Roads

One of the things I love about living past the end of Pumpkintown Road is the views along the long and winding road that takes me to the cabin.  There are many picturesque spots along the way that are demonstrating both fall's glory and the road's charm...I thought you might enjoy...

 

 

I'll be driving west through more long and winding mountain roads this afternoon...heading to Hayesville to participate in the Pitfalls of Publishing panel discussion...I'm looking forward to everything I'll learn, the people I'll meet and the promise of beautiful views as I drive.  I'll tell you all about it tomorrow.

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see  you tomorrow,
Lise

My Simple Salmon Croquettes with Horseradish Dill Sauce

I've been posting a lot of recipes lately...seems like that time of year when I'm doing a lot of cooking/baking because the gray and rainy weather has frequently kept me indoors (for the most part).  I'm hoping to post about our fall colors soon, but I dare say they are not as spectacular as I've seen in the past...I think we've had too much rain this summer, and not enough cold this fall.  Besides, I enjoy creating in the kitchen and sharing my discoveries...I hope you get a good recipe out of it now and again!

This recipe is nice because it's relatively easy to prepare, can be assembled ahead of time and the recipe can be doubled or tripled, freezing the extra patties for later use...makes it an excellent meal for busy people! If you don't like salmon, you can use any other flaky fish or crab.  Try 'em, you might like 'em!

Lise's Simple Salmon Patties

Ingredients:

1 14.5 oz.can of Alaskan pink salmon
1 egg
1/2 small onion, minced
1 stalk celery, minced
3/4 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
use 1 tsp dried herb if you don't have fresh
zest of 1 lemon
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp Dijon mustard
3/4 cup plain bread crumbs
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
olive oil
flour for dusting (I like Kentucky Kernel because of it's seasonings for something like this, but you can use plain of you seasoned favorite)

Directions:

Beat the egg...

...then add the onion, celery, Old Bay, herbs, salt & pepper and lemon zest...

 ...and combine.

Add the mayonnaise and Dijon mustard... 

 ...and combine.

Open and drain the can of salmon (you could also use fresh cooked salmon) and remove all the bones and large pieces of skin.  If I had known how many bones and skin I would be removing I would have looked more closely at the ingredients of this particular brand...I would be willing to pay a little more and eliminate less of the undesirable contents of the can.

Add the salmon to the mixture...

 ...and combine.

Add the bread crumbs (I use the two types because the panko adds a nice texture and the regular bread crumbs are a good binder)... 

 ...and yes, you got it, combine.

Form the croquettes by hand, using a little flour to coat each side...

 ...I was able to make 5 large croquettes...you can make them the size you want.  Croquettes are often cigar shaped but I chose to make patties because they are easier to pan fry and I didn't want to deep fry them.

Cover the patties and refrigerate them for an hour or more.  You don't have to do this but it helps them stay solid while they are cooking; it also makes preparing dinner easier because the assembly has already taken place.  You can also double or triple this recipe and freeze some patties for future use...wrap them separately in freezer paper or saran wrap and then place them in a freezer bag. 

The Horseradish Dill Sauce is easy...place equal amounts of mayonnaise and sour cream into a storage container (no extra dishes to wash with this preparation), add about 2 tbsp horseradish and 2 palm-fulls of dried dill (if using fresh dill, double that amount)and a dash of herb flavored white vinegar...

 ...mix and refrigerate.

25 minutes before you are ready to serve your meal, place the croquettes into a pan that has warmed with a little olive oil, cooking 4 - 5 minutes on medium heat.  If your croquettes are smaller, they will not take as long.

Turn them over...

 ...and cover with a lid to allow them to steam for 5 minutes.

Remove the lid and continue cooking for 4 - 5 minutes until both sides are golden brown.

I served the croquettes with home made mashed potatoes and garden green beans with my savory ramp compound butter (click on the link for that recipe), lemon and the horseradish dill sauce.

The croquettes were light with the salmon being complimented by the seasonings very nicely.  Makes me very happy because this was another one of my experiments...I really enjoy being creative in the kitchen, especially when it tastes good!

Visit Flour Me With Love, A Bright and Beautiful Life, and Homestead Barn Hop for more mouth watering recipes!

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise