Fall colors
What does early fall
look like on our farm? It's all about fall colors, fall
flowers, and (of course) the fall garden.
For us, fall colors come in the form of red peppers. Since
we prefer our peppers ripe and raw, I don't put in the effort to
start a bunch of plants early. Instead, we just wait until
the days start to chill down for this annual treat. (We also
have the more traditional fall colors in the woods, with buckeyes
and blackgum having colored up weeks ago.)
The fall flowers, of
course, are still blooming like crazy. I particularly enjoy
the jewelweed, which attracts hummingbirds (and is so easy to rip
up that I let it go to seed even at garden edges). All these
fall flowers mean the nectar
flow is
continuing, and bees (wild and cultivated) are everywhere.
The fall garden is up
and running, too, although we're not eating from it yet. I
figure pea flowers a week ago mean we'll get our first succulent
nibbles soon.
While we wait, I've been counting the rather excessive number of
Brussels sprouts I installed this year. Last year, only
four plants were in a sunny enough spot to bear, and we
loved the vegetable so much we opted to quadruple its square
footage this year. But then I got spooked by the early onset
of tomato blight and set out another dozen or so Brussels sprouts
between the ailing vines. Is it possible we'll get sick of
Brussels sprouts this winter?
Any signs of fall
showing up in your neck of the woods?
Or explore more posts by date or by subject.
About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.
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We always loved Fall as well! The colors,the smells,the cooler temps...
Your tomato looks delicious
Anna,
One can never tire of Brussels sprouts! When roasted with olive oil and balsamic vinegar we tend to fight over them. I also cut them in half and sautée them in a pan with some really good butter or bacon grease (we still haven't purchased buttercup yet....yes I have already named my milk cow even though she doesn't yet exist!)...it is a treat is as wonderful as homemade candy.
I posted a similar blog entry about fall windflowers over at crookedrowfarm.com...lots of photos!
My granny taught me how to make a poison ivy antidote out of jewelweed in the form of ice cubes you rub on the skin....it is quite effective, though im not allergic so I never make it (a quick google search reveals the method of preperation).Turns out the two often grow in close proximity to each other as well.
On another note, I was wondering if you keep a list of blogs you follow? I am always looking for some good morning reading!
Best wishes for a bountiful fall harvest going your way!