Sunday, October 23, 2011

The Dying Year



Life has been really busy since we got home. 
Jeff and I were both back to work immediately. 
Then there were the tomatoes that had been picked by kind neighbours and were desperate to be roasted or canned. 
And the garden, though green, needs to be put to bed for the winter.
Come walk with me through the remains of summer.

The slugs are having a heyday with the hostas, which are fading fast.


The violet leaves are being shredded...


....by the same dastardly critters.
Only I am the one with the slug bait.
Mwahaha!!!!!
I take a wicked delight in the slime trails that streak the damp ground the morning after I lay out the bait.


Seed heads abound. Some will be collected for next year, like the marigolds, but some will be left a while longer for the birds.


Hips are setting on the roses.
They're setting on me too!


The last of the rhubarb has been picked and used in rhubarb cake or frozen.
Why do I love rhubarb cake so much? I have made three of them in the last two weeks.
This year I decided to try covering the roots with the slug-eaten leaves.


Asparagus seeds are turning a lovely shade of crimson.
I found out why some stalks set seeds and some don't. 
Male and female.


I call this Grape-ageddon.
The last bunch has finally relinquished its juice to my tender mercies.


The week after we got home it rained incessantly and temperatures dropped.
The tomato plants did not respond well.
Be warned, the photos are not pretty.


This strawberry bed will be gone next year. Jeff has instructions to smother it with grass clippings.


The results of my canning efforts are sitting on my counter.
I have friends who do 50 quarts in a sitting. That has never been my style. A batch or two a day is my limit. 
My strategy is to leave them there for a few weeks so that I can appear to be industrious for as long as possible.


And the freezer is loaded to capacity with rhubarb and peaches and tomatoes.
And tilapia and sausage and chicken and....and...and....


In six days I will be with my little Elsie.
Oh, and Annie too!

4 comments:

  1. I love the first picture in this post. It's very pretty. Our garden needs to be put to bed too. I am hoping to do it this coming weekend. It hasn't gotten that cold here yet so we still have some decent tomatoes on the vine. I think we will be making some tomato relish soon.

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  2. I like your plan for canning. Looks like you still accomplished a lot and the freezer looks wonderful!

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  3. Ah. The waning year. Makes one even more nostalgic and melancholy than usual. But I love it, hate winter, and so I am apprehensive. You seem to have a handle on things. Enjoy Elsie (and Annie) to the uttermost!

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  4. Ha - I had to stop over after you left me that snarky comment about Americans and salad vs dessert. It made me laugh - and you are so right! If it makes you feel better, I did eat it as a dessert - not a salad!

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