October 29, 2020

Random Shots: October

Time got away from me this month, and now, October is nearly over. Was it the same for you? Here's a round-up of random shots from my October photo folder that never made it into blog posts.

Marigolds

Pecans

Lunch

Dill

Celery

Dodder

Goat check

Greens, preparation

Greens, cooked

Milking
 
Thyme

Kudzu basket

Soup

Mist

Lids

Chickens, old

Chickens, new

Ground pine

Salad

Color

Porch

Looks like we may get our first frost this weekend. Winter is on the way!

Random Shots: October © Oct 2020 by Leigh 

28 comments:

tpals said...

How very different our Octobers looked.

wyomingheart said...

Great shots, Leigh! Love the color of those marigolds! Yes, this month has really zipped by, for sure! We have just a couple of days until the awesome 90th party, and the farm will go back to the usual calm! Our guests begin arriving this afternoon and we are excited because we have not really had much company since the pandemic! We pray for a ton of great memories to be made and lots of love and fellowship to be had. Monday we will be back to normal, and the start of our cold weather...can’t wait to make some awesome soup!...Yum ! Have a super weekend!

Rosalea said...

Leigh. What a beautiful post! Those greens! And fresh milk! I had to pull my last bit of kale and chard yesterday, as there were Bambi prints in my garden. I don't want them to get used to coming there for food! Back when Hubby and I were first married, we rented a farm house to live in and were able to use a bit of space in the barn. I had a Jersey cow named Jenny, and...the...milk!! What a memory you aroused! We are, in latitude, far apart, but..I have the same ground pine growing here in spots in the bush. Have you tried blanching your celery before drying? I've done both ways, and neither seems satisfactory. That porch just needs some easy chairs...but would you find time to use them?

Leigh said...

Tpals, that's what makes blog reading so fascinating! It gives us an appreciation for the wider world. :)

Wyomingheart, oh, I hope you aren't getting the huge deluge that we've gotten! It's supposed to clear tomorrow, but not very conducive for birthday celebrations! Nice that the frigid temps are holding off for a few days.

I know it must be excited to share your homestead with family and friends. May you have a wonderful time!

Rosalea, thank you! Yes, love those memories. Posts like this capture them for us for future times. :)

Dan sits out on the porch almost every evening, so it does get use! The original front porch was screened in, and that was one of the selling points of the house. Unfortunately, it catches the blistering summer sun, so it's not very enjoyable during the time of year we'd use it most. :(

Leigh said...

Rosalea, I forgot to answer your question about the celery. In truth, I never blanch anything! But, my dehydrated veggies are mostly for soup and stew, so I never notice them as individual vegetables. They add to the taste meld, which is what I like. Celery's been a good price lately, so I figured why not?

Oh, and I saved the root ends and have been sprouting my own celery! Very exciting. I've never had much luck growing celery from seed.

wyomingheart said...

Oh, Leigh, I have several patches s of celery growing in my boxes that were started from the celery root ends. They don’t bunch up, but the single stalks are very tasty, and I have celery all summer that way! Perfect! I also use the romaine lettuce ends for the same thing. Great minds think alike!

daisy g said...

Well, that's a great smorgasbord of your month!
Your thyme looks so healthy. I will have to replant next spring, as mine didn't do much. Lots of home grown goodies to eat as well!

Enjoy your weekend!

Rosalea said...

Thanks Leigh. I put my dehydrated veg in soup and stew, but find chewy little bits of celery! I'll have to try sprouting the root ends.

Toirdhealbheach Beucail said...

All lovely pictures and very representative of life as it is actually lived when one is working to support one's self sustainably.

I like the goat check caption: "Goat Check, Goat Check, testing one, two, three..."

Leigh said...

I can't believe it! We had an electricity blip while I was writing this and the computer shut off. When Chrome restored my open tabs, it remembered my half finished comment! Kudos to Google!

Wyomingheart, I haven't tried romaine ends, but now I'll have to! Has your re-rooted celery ever gone to seed? Not sure the seed would be viable, but it's a thought.

Daisy, I lost my thyme the summer of 2019 because of a long hot, dry spell. This year I installed an olla (that post here, and that made all the difference in the world!

Rosalea, texture is very important for food enjoyment. My daughter won't eat oatmeal because of the texture. What I call (and don't enjoy) tough cuts of meat, Dan calls "chewy" and loves them. Very personalized, isn't it? If you like the celery flavor, though, you could powder the dried bits in a blender. I've done that lately with mushrooms (that's blog post a spoiler alert! :)

TB, I wondered what people would think of the goat check. ("Yup, she's still a goat.") LOL

Ed said...

I would guess the reason October flew by so fast for you is that you've been busy by the looks from the pictures. My October slowed down as soon as the Cross Country season came to a close for my oldest. I get a lot more time in the evenings to do some reading.

Retired Knitter said...

Yep!! October is near gone and I am pleased about it! I want 2020 to be in my rear view mirror. Too many unpleasant things. And I am a "winter's child" that loves the cold and the beauty of the season. Welcome 2021 I say!!

Rain said...

Aaah the porch...my favourite! :) Great photos Leigh, what kind of soup is that? Yes, for me too, the fall is going by too fast, actually the entire last 10 months have zoomed by and it's a little worrisome...I don't want time to fly so fast!!!

Renee Nefe said...

Great pix. Looks lovely to be there. We're on our second snow and first hard freeze. The apple tree hung onto its leaves, I don't think that we lost any limbs...I'll have to check that.
I don't know if I've mentioned it before but Lilly past away in Sept...just a few days after her 18th birthday. I am still missing her. While her constant following me to the bathroom annoyed me while she was living, I still expect her to be there now that she's gone. I've been looking at available dogs to adopt online, but realize that now really isn't a good time to get a new dog. And daughter wants a cat...hubby doesn't want any pet (he didn't want Lilly when we got her but quickly became best buddies with her.)

Cockeyed Jo said...

It's not getting below freezing here. I think the lowest it's supposed to get is 37. You survived Zeta too, huh? It was really bad here with no power for about 7 hours.

Goatldi said...

OK ladies. I am so excited to know about this. I am always wary about this but apparently from your amazing success know something I don’t.

Goatldi said...

Wonderful collection of life lived as so many of us enjoy. I was smitten with so many of the photos and entertained by your dry sense of humor. Lest we not forget the timely tips. Well done and enjoyed!

Nancy In Boise said...

Great shots and congrats on the news chicks! Barred Rocks?

Leigh said...

Ed, yes, when I look at it like that, it's a reminder of how busy October has been. But a good busy! I like feeling productive. :)

RT, I'm definitely looking forward to the slower season of the hearth! And, like you, I won't mind seeing 2020 in the rearview mirror.

Rain, thanks! Yes, a porch is a wonderful asset. Just enjoy whatever project is at hand! And take lots of pictures to remind yourselves all about it later on. :)

Renee, thanks! I did not know about Lilly! I'm so sad to hear that heartbreaking news. Gosh, she's been a part of your online life for as long as I've known you. She definitely lived a long and good life.

Jo, yes, Zeta has done her damage and gone! Dan counted five trees blown down from the fierce winds we had this morning. I was half expecting tornado warnings. Sorry to hear you lost power. Amazingly, we were spared that. Chance of our first frost possible this weekend!

Goatldi, it's something I've just learned too! An exceptional no-waste way of growing things! And thank you for the compliment! :)

Leigh said...

Nancy, they're Dominiques, supposedly dating back to the colonial period. I got them because (also supposedly) they have a tendency to go broody. I think the big difference between them and Barred Rocks is the comb. Doms have rose combs.

wyomingheart said...

Yes, Leigh, I have garnered some seed from the celery, but have not planted this year...next year’s project! The romaine went to seed also, and I did replant that, but it is not viable...or at least the seeds I used weren’t viable. I have also replanted carrot tops, and onion bottoms with some success; the carrots more than the onions...lol ! It’s just fun experimenting with out the fear, or pressure that we need the food for our survival ! That may one day be the case, sadly, so better to gain the most knowledge now.

Mama Pea said...

What a lovely pictorial trip through October! And, of course, much different than I could have posted. We had a low of 21° this morning. Yes, brrrr! No snow covering on the ground yet. I simply cannot believe how fast this month of October zoomed by. What can we do to slow time down so we all have time for those "wanna-dos?"

Woolly Bits said...

our october was mainly wet - a bit of colour and two days later strong winds, so that was that. we had one dry day today - but a few minutes ago the next band of rain moved in - so heavy that the dog vanished under the sofa because of the hammering on the roof:( and tomorrow morning we'll have "Aidan", the first storm of the season.... on the other hand bad weather on halloween night isn't a bad idea - keeps the neighbour's kids from doing serious nonsense at least:)

Leigh said...

Wyomingheart, I'm not surprised the seeds weren't viable, but it was worth a shot. Not everything is a hybrid! I agree about experimenting now, when it's less stressful and for fun. It's a good way to learn.

Mama Pea, thanks! I don't know if I'm ready for temps that cold! I do hope you've got your to-do list checked off so you can enjoy some pleasant inside time.

Annie in Ocala said...

Beautiful pics! Here in the Ocala National Forest fall is just beginning... had some coolish temps so far but no woodstove weather yet. Maybe Monday. I do love seeing pics of your projects it gives me ideas. I've had a hard time keeping up with my homestead projects due to work lately but did have first kids of the season born yesterday. And sooo ready for fresh milk! Thanks for taking us along, I see things like your kudzu basket an say hmmm... I have lots o grape vines an made wreaths before, maybe I can make a basket! See what you've done! I love it!

Leigh said...

Bettina, lol, good take on not so good weather. :) I hope your storm season isn't as active as ours has been. Zeta dumped over 2.5" of water and had winds strong enough to blow down five trees! The silver lining there was that it also knocked down about a zillion pecans from the pecan trees!

Annie, congrats on your new kids! That's always so exciting. (So is fresh milk :). Actually, after playing around with the kudzu vines, I've been thinking about making a grape vine basket! but wreaths is a really good idea too - thanks for that!

Seeking Serenity said...

Chickens old
Chickens new
Hahaha oh dear :D
.. Marigold smell is a delight for me
I loved your photos

Leigh said...

Serenity, thanks! Glad to know somebody doesn't mind my sense of humor! ;)