Sunset today was 4:59 p.m.
Bob on the front porch, Bear in the yard.
I stopped a work session at 4:30 so I could get us all outside for a time before it got dark. …priorities, you know!
Some clear sky to the East, gray to the West, beautiful in the front yard…just after sunset.
If I had pumpkins outside, they would certainly have frost on them as it was 27 by my thermometer this morning.
Thankfully my pumpkins are inside, in a sunny window.
And so are the herbs. I have a plan for 2 window table/shelves and some extra lighting to see if I can coax the group to stay alive and growing through the Winter. I’m not much for inside plants so we’ll just see how this goes.
Rosemary…probably my favorite herb…she is nice and green, but the whole growing thing has not been happening. I did some reading. Rosemary likes sun and heat. Hoo, boy – she definitely will need the grow light AND the best sun spot. And she likes to be moist but not wet or dry. Rosemary, she is high maintenance: pray for her, please!!
Back to pumpkins. I had three from my CSA farm distribution. One has been dealt with…the smallest I cooked with the smallest squash to refine the process and decide if I wanted to buy a few more for extra pumpkin as well as squash puree.
I do! The process is easy and not time consuming. I think I have 20 minutes in this morning’s effort and that includes doing the dishes after.
The hardest part is slicing them open! I found that taking off the top is fairly easy. Then, halving and quartering is not so difficult as trying to halve from the get go. I think there is a physics principle in there somewhere about the strength of a sphere…
I put a bit of water in a pan, quartered (or smaller) pieces flesh side down and bake in a 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, the seeds. I LIKE pumpkin seeds and they are full of good stuff. I buy them roasted (and shelled!). I decided to try roasting a few of my own as long as I have them. It is not the roasting, but the shelling part that might be the show stopper.
I’m not big on a mega processing kind of thing…a whole day making jam or dealing with the veg – I much prefer doing a number of small batches. So, one or 2 pumpkins at a time. But the seeds I decided to save until I have enough for a cookie sheet full. Today’s chore was just the cleaning and that was easy…soaked them in some water and the pulp slid off.
These went into the frig for later roasting…probably :)!
Pumpkin is done.
The skin is easily peeled off with a paring knife at this point. I defy anyone to peel an uncooked pumpkin with a paring knife and as far as I’m concerned peeling an uncooked pumpkin is putting fingers and hands at great risk with a large, very sharp knife that is apt to careen off who knows where. Too scary for me.
This method is easy, safe (r!) and I didn’t lose much pumpkin in the process.
I gave it a light mash – just enough so that I could pack and measure. A pie takes 2 cups.
Unfortunately, I decided to taste the mashed pumpkin. It was good!
A few bites too many and I ended up with a bit less than 2 cups. So…1 cup for the freezer and the partial for the frig and something other than pie. I haven’t decided what but I’ll probably share the result(s).
I don’t know why I waited so long to do container herbs…
These pots…on the front porch…so pretty and they make such a huge difference in how the front porch feels.
I added peppermint and spearmint this weekend. Pay attention to that spearmint!
Oy-vay!!! Crushed spearmint…and ice cubes!!!…in my wine.
I know that if I was a food stylist, I would have plucked a beautiful sprig of spearmint for this photo, but the truth is, that any herb…including spearmint…”leaks” its best flavor when it is crushed.
I.E. – crushed spearmint leaves, a few ice cubes, some Chardonnay = summertime bliss….to me!
And inside??? A sprig of basil, several sprigs of lavendar, a crackle vase from my Grandma Ruthie = heaven on my desk.
The sight, the smell, the taste….why did I wait so long???
I have spent a fair amount of time whacking thistles this summer. They are extremely prolific!! And the St. John’s Wort. And most of the other weeds classified by the State of Montana as noxious weeds…weeds that by law must be eradicated. For me, it is not just the law, it is thoughtfulness for my cattle ranching neighbors as well as for the health of my woods.
So, I’ve been pulling weeds and whacking thistles. But, this year…the thistles, especially, are out of hand!
Thistles, like most of the noxious weeds have their beauty. They attract butterflies and bumble bees. My first practice shots at getting bokeh were in a small patch of thistles in my woods. As a side note…bokeh and/or depth of field – it is that part of photography that I love most. Depth of field is the one thing that I set my camera for with intent. For me, it is the way to tell a story with a photo. I highly recommend reading, practicing, learning…how to use depth of field. Thus ends today’s sermon :)!
Albino thistle??? I don’t know, but pretty!
Back to the out of hand thing. The thistles…they are out of hand…and they are impossible to pull by hand unless you have steel gloves. Hence my whacking approach.
But…I googled….and I bing-ed and I discovered that whacking them off did little to control them. Thistles have a strong and deep root system. Rats. Now, what???
I hated the thought of a chemical solution, but after some discussion and reading, I decided on RoundUp applied low on the thistles to avoid the seeds that birds, bees and butterflies eat.
I bought a new sprayer.
It has a 3 gallon tank and is mounted on a wheeled frame.
As I was looking up information on the ratio of the RoundUp Pro concentrate to water, I happened on a tidbit of info that sent me away from RoundUp. The original patent was held by Monsanto. I will not knowingly use a Monsanto product.
A week or so earlier, I had read about using vinegar on weeds. I had even dumped the end of a bottle on some driveway weeds and was astonished to see them turn brown overnight. I use a vinegar mix – half distilled white vinegar and half water – as my household cleaner. I spritz it on the floor before damp-dusting with a cloth mop. I clean counters and appliances with it. A spritzer sits in my shower and I spray the shower walls, doors and fixtures as a daily cleaner. I even spritz my head once a week to get rid of hair product build up. I use the same kind of vinegar full strength to clean my coffee and tea pot.
And then I found this article: Vinegar as an Herbicide
So…
The thistles drank Heinz Distilled White Vinegar – straight up – this morning.
So did some of the driveway weeds:
Above was taken mid-afternoon after a morning spray with straight vinegar.
It is hard to tell from this photo, but the thistle leaves have started to brown and curl also.
I have yet to find anything that suggests there is a downside to using vinegar on weeds. Time will tell if this really works, but I’m far happier spraying vinegar than any chemical.
Yea, yea…the herbs go with my eyes…but…I notice there’s no catnip in there???
***Bob is not actually interested in catnip. My tuxedo cat, Gus (departed 8/14/2005) LOVED catnip…or more acurately, he went berserk over it and I think for him, it was a hallucinogen. Bob…no interest or reaction :)!
