Fall planting, last harvests...

I just flipped through the last few blog posts to check if I was behind or caught up on the highlights of recent happenings.  It sure appears that we are more in fall/winter mode with multiple outings away from the homestead!  But there is plenty happening on the home front too, and some of my favorite tasks!  I've discovered that a lot of the tasks at the beginning and end of the season suit me really well.  The spring weeding frenzy and the fall garden cleanup and leaf mulching are both very good matches to my personality.  A very clear task with obvious visible results is lovely!  So I've been chopping away at dead tomato and pepper plants and bean vines at every available opportunity!  In other pockets of time there has been little bits of harvesting - just enough to keep my dehydrator humming away most moments of the last few weeks.  We did have our first light frost this week but now have a stretch without cold nights.  We keep wondering when the first fire in the wood stove will be needed.  There have been some cool nights but I love cuddling up with my family so haven't wanted to warm the air too much!  Last evening I enjoyed a delayed birthday treat from the girls - a complete hairdo session with me dosing on the living room floor.  Lovely!

Here's what Alida was doing that made me think I could squeeze a blog post in - she has since awaken!

Some of the things harvested the day before a possible frost was in the forecast.  To the far right are paprika peppers - how fun to have three containers of our very own dried/ground paprika.  We'll be growing those again!

The last of the peppers - many will go in the dehydrator - and some of the last summer squash (the trombone squash want to keep going so we'll see when the actual last one is harvested.

The "cream of the crop" for planting.  Jason was sure he had plenty of seed and what he saved out only planted about half our field so we had to dive into our eating supply.

The girls don't want to miss out on much these days - here they are headed to the garlic field.

The girls and I got in on the easy part!  Jason and Jonathan had worked all day the day before transforming the patch into plantable soil.

Kali is now a true help.  She helped with various parts of the project but was proud to plant, cover, and water in one full row all by herself!

Peanut digging time!

We are trying a new method this year of drying them on the vine for a few weeks...

The number of jars of dried things are growing in the pantry - who knew dried squash could be so very tasty.  We've also got lots of tomatoes, peppers, some onions, corn, and ground cherries.

This is the way the counter looks many mornings when I'm just getting started with a day at home.  Most of it will be in our bellies by the end of the day!

Here's the largest of the trombone squash - summer squash that turns to a winter squash if left on the vine. This one will provide plenty of seed, enough to share!  And lots of squash - weighed in at about 20lb.

Corn harvest - suffered greatly due to deer and groundhog pressure.

I need to unload the dryer and get some peppers going...

One of our favorite things to harvest - sweet potatoes!

Both girls were loving it until Alida got dirt in her sock. :)

Yum!

There were some biggies!

Our last watermelon was consumed just before we welcomed October. It's funny how I don't feel sad as one season ends because the next one has its own things to look forward to!