Late summer

Technically it isn't late summer for a few more weeks, but the light is changing through the trees, and the sun is setting earlier.
The morning breezes are much cooler, and the light for the sunrises is changing too.
But we are still enjoying late summer tomatoes, from the farm stand a few miles away.
And enjoying the last few peaches ripening on the counter, sliced, with some yogurt and oh so very sweet and good.
We are now entering my favorite time of year, the fall, with the cooler weather, and shorter days.
Food that evokes nesting inside like soups or stews, or apple cobbler.
It's a great transitioning time of year, and I feel rejuvenated.
How about you?

Picnics, summertime, barbeques

Picnics, summertime, barbeques, fire in the fire pit for smores, and the tiki torches burning. All things of our summertime picnics in our backyard.
This morning the air feels cool, almost crisp, even though it was warm during the day yesteray and is supposed to be high 80's today.
But there are some dry leaves dropping off the trees, and a lot of the plants look like they've had their best growth.
So my patio has probably seen it's best use this summer.
And somehow when it gets cooler in the evening, and dark much much sooner, it feels like summertime is coming to a close.
It's not because I have children going back to school, because mine are grown and off involved in their own lives.
But the bus goes down the street and in the evening, the neighborhood kids aren't outside playing as late.
Fall is defintely trying to make it's appearance, and the cooler air is somehow more rejuvenating.
But for this one day their will be another picnic and another fire in the firepit and candles burning on the picnic table.
Summer is not quite over today.

Cookies and the kitchen

A busy day in the kitchen.
See the tomatoes ripening on the windowsill and of course more peaches in the bowl.
But I decided while I was making messes to do two batches of cookies instead of one.
Once the momentum is going and the messes exist it doesn't seem to take that much longer to make two batches.
I started with my usual: oatmeal milk chocolate walnut cookies and when those were baking I mixed up the second batch: walnut white chocolate macadamia nut cookies.
And the two batches made a lot of cookies.
So I parceled them out into my glass jars and other storage containers.
To keep some, to give some to friends and then to put some of each kind in the freezer to have 'on hand' should a situation arise where I need a quick gift to give to someone.

More peaches and more sweet corn

I talked last week about local produce and peaches and corn and tomatoes.
Now the farmer called me to see if I want another 5-6 dozen ears of corn to freeze.
So today it's more corn.
And I have more peaches ripe and these will also be frozen.
We will be turning into peaches soon if we don't stop eating them.
So they are being sliced and frozen individually and then packed in 1 qt freezer bags to use in the winter for smoothies, or with yoghurt or in pies.
It is fun, but I am ready to stop freezing produce.
So I am going to enjoy another day with more local goodies.
What do you have planned for today?

Buying local peaches, corn, tomatoes and more

This is my kitchen table and it is pretty much the way it has looked the last several days.
I keep going to the local orchard and buying a half bushel of peaches, coming home, and making peach crisp, peach jam, freezing sliced peaches, keeping sliced peaches in the fridge and primarily allowing them to ripen on the counter.
Oh the sweet sweet smell of fresh peaches, grown locally, and ripening naturally under my fingers.
It's really a pleasure and delight of August. But the problem is I keep going back and getting another bushel or half bushel. And $15 a bushel is what I've been paying. Compare that to the several lbs of peaches you buy in the grocery. It's simply amazing.
Right now on my back deck I have a bushel of sweet corn waiting to be husked, blanched and frozen. I went with my dad early this morning, right after sunrise, and I bought the corn from the farmer who had just pulled it off the stalk. Amazing.
Soon it will be in my freezer.
I have a large bag of apples sitting in my garage waiting to be made into applesauce to go in the freezer.
I also have been buying my tomatoes down the road at a roadside stand of another local farmer. It's wonderful and intoxicating. I am not wanting this gardening weather to end, because then I know the taste of tomatoes fresh off of the vine, will only be a memory of summer.
It's wonderful to live close to people who garden and have orchards. I love it.