Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Bounty

Stewed Tomatoes, Free-Range Eggs, Honey Crisp Apples

Around these parts, the upper Midwest, if you're not a Huge fan of summer, you've got to be crazy.  So with the onset of fall I get a little melancholy around here as we know we're into a time where the weather changes to cold for a long while.  As I age however, I've come to appreciate all the seasons and now fall has shown a strong case for itself in it's beauty and the bounty from my yard and gardens.  The fall-time maturing of my chickens giving us eggs. 




This year we saw our Honeycrisp Apple tree finally produce more than 6 apples.  It filled a fruit box.  We've mainly just been eating the apples straight out of the box and gave a bunch to friends.  But I did make some pies last weekend and now I wish I had more than the one box.  Maybe next year.  Husband says I need to plant more apple trees next spring and for sure I will do that.  I got a great tip 2 years ago to trim the apple tree so that it appears to have enough space between the branches that you can throw a cat through it, figuratively speaking, of course.  It did the trick and we've been rewarded after 7 years, waiting on our Honeycrisp.

The tomatoes in the window sill ripened quickly with the newspaper wrapped around them.  And I made stewed tomatoes...a Johnson favorite. Grandma Daisy made this for my husband and his family when there was "nothing in the fridge" he said she would go to the garden , come back with tomatoes and whip this up.  He loved it.  We have ours over homemade garlic croutons and it is fabulous.

I also took some squash from the garden and made this fantastic squash-tomato-coconut milk bisque from this beautiful website.  This gal, Gabi, really knows how to cook and with these ingredients from my yard I feel lucky to have found her website to make a recipe worthy of our homegrown bounty. 
http://honestfare.com/tomato-squash-coconut-milk-bisque-vegan/  Go visit here and make something fresh and divine.


 Acorn and Butternut squash

 Beefeater and Purple Cherokee Tomatoes in garlic, basil and olive oil.

This recipe is a keeper.

Sunny gave us this bountiful double yolker last week.  She's got a few kinks to work out in her reproductive system yet.  But we don't mind.




This week Rosey has began a regular egg for us. Her eggs are small, medium brown, shiny and just a bit elongated.  They are cute if I could say that about an egg.   Now we're at 4 eggs  most days.  Sylvia has been making nests tidy and she could lay anytime herself.  But have not noticed anything.

Sweet Rosey with a full crop before roosting tonight.


The temps this week are in the mid to upper 60's going into 70's for the weekend.  The colors are peaking as the maples are on fire.  My flock has never looked more beautiful in the yard, their plumage complimenting the trees around them. 
 







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