FALL BEGINS AT THE GARDEN HOME

As fall starts to take her first hold on the garden home I am reminded of how short the time from spring/April to September is really. I continue to harvest from the garden, another 55-tomatoes today alone. I still share almost daily with the neighborhood, etc., and then enough for myself. As we had a very hard but short rainstorm on Sunday evening, 09/06/09, I was hoping to refresh the drying and dying squash plants but from further inspection today I fear the end has really come now. And the cucumbers are finished. I think if the rain had come last Thursday or Friday there may have been hope. I even watered pretty good early last week but that did not help much if any.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the yellow squash this year and made many casseroles and many sliced, grilled squash dishes. But not near all I wanted. But I did manage to put some in the freezer. I just slice them and lay singularly on a cookie sheet and put in the freezer till hard then DOUBLE BAG them in zipper freezer bags (to help prevent freezer burn). So I will have a few to enjoy later this winter I hope. Along with the squash I made several quarts of frozen tomato soup or sauce mix. Some I added spices to already and some I left plain. I would just stem them, core out any green areas, cut out any bad spots then just cut up into small pieces and cook them down till the wonderful juice and flavor was filling the house with wonderful scents that would make even "Mama Celeste" jealous. I think I have never had tomatoes make up so much juice. I believe the different varieties I had this year were some of the juiciest I ever had. You could cut one on a plate and the plate would just be full of juice. You had to use a plate or other container with a raised, curled edge or the juice would just run off everywhere.

I have updated the front porch with my new fall decorations, wreath and pumpkin container over the past weekend so that when Labor Day had come and gone, this garden home could truly say, "We are ready for fall here!" I start my last vacation period for this year after tomorrow and this one is for me and the work I have to get done this week on my schedule here to make it by Dec. 4Th for the home tour. So keep your thoughts with me this week and hope all goes well with the new door install, the interior painting and the beginning of the exterior painting I must get done by tour time. I was hoping to have the kitchen painted as well, as I have already purchased the paint for that re-do but if things keep going as they are and my Master Gardener class keeps me as busy next week as I have been I may be in tough times to get is done.

I have decided on colors for the exterior and you can see some sample paints here. DO NOT BE ALARMED...This is NOT RED...for some reason my camera is making this look red but it is really a very lovely terracotta almost more paprika color that I think will accent the brick bands on the columns out front and the mossy/sage green color sample standing up will be the two front doors with white trim and inlaid with the paprika color to stand out on the yellow siding and white trim work. You will have to see this in person to see the effect it will have and after many-many exhausting hours at bookstores and library and online studies of the c.1910 Arts-N-Crafts homes I find this to be one of the better and more attractive and eye popping combinations that will make this garden home one of distinction not only on my street but in the neighborhood. My only problem as I see it now is TIME and not enough of it!
So as always my fellow gardeners, I leave you with this gardening affirmation: "YOU CAN TAKE THE TURNIP OUT OF THE COUNTRY BUT IT IS ALWAYS JUST A TURNIP!" I think this really describes ME....Once a gardener - always a gardener!