In which fall arrives

Finally. The harvest almost killed me.

There was more after the tomatoes: carrots, dried beans, kale, basil, corn, more apples, and pumpkins and squashes. The basil:

I like blending it up with olive oil and freezing it flat in freezer bags. Then it's easy to break off a chunk of whatever size I want for cooking.

I made endless amounts of apple sauce, cut up nine pies' worth of pie apples and made a few jars of apple butter.

Into the freezer for holiday pies:

The corn, oh, the corn. We got WAY too much from a friend, but we blanched, cut, bagged and froze it all, 13 dozen ears, I believe. This year I enlisted my husband's help. It was still an ordeal.

Like anything else with the garden, it all comes down to processing. I am all processed out for the year. I am happy to report, however, now that the produce is processed, I can return to the kind of process I enjoy more: spinning and knitting.

I have mentioned that I work in a cold office. In the spirit of compassion for my hypothermia-weakened co-workers, I made a few things.

1. A pair of fingerless mitts for one of the ad reps (in a charcoal mystery wool from the stash):

2.  A pair of fingerless mitts for one of my production-department cohorts (using an old supply of Rowan Calmer, from back in the day when I occasionally bought expensive yarn):

And, hot off the needles, a hat for another of my production-department buddies. This is huge, however, and although she swears she has a really big head, this one might have to go back on the needles with fewer stitches:

I haven't been neglecting myself, either. I made a Hawthorne (by Susannah IC, same person who designed the Annis in my last post), only this is a worsted-weight pattern:

I've also been spinning. Let's recap: In June I scoured and dyed and drum-carded some Romney lambswool.

Eventually, in between gardening, weeding and picking and washing and blanching and canning and freezing veggies and now and then falling down from exhaustion, I managed to spin about two-thirds of it into singles.

And last week, I finished spinning the singles and plied into two skeins of heavy worsted/bulky yarn:

The true color is greener but that's the best I could do.

I had to finish that yarn so I could start on another project that has been in the back of my head. Many moons ago, I dyed up some commercial merino/tencel top in a blue-silver kind of colorway:

Lovely, yet way too wishy-washy for my taste. Rather than ignore it for several more years, I overdyed it into something a little more interesting:

Much better.

In all honesty, I was hoping for more rust and red and purple and less green, but I'm OK with it. I'm spinning up pretty fine in the hopes that I can make into a simple shawlette that will show off the color variations. Merino/tencel is dreamy to spin.

I don't have animal pictures this time, although I should have: I turned our dining room into a poultry hospital for a few days and nursed a sick chicken back to health. I still am not sure what is/was wrong with her but she eats and walks around now, so I guess she's better. I did snap one thing: a young turkey figuring out that by standing on the porch railing she can reach the suet feeder:

Hey,, it's Halloween. Although she probably would prefer I didn't share this (because she is an 11-year-old with a 13-year-old's sense of complete mortification at anything to do with her parents and/or having anyone notice her), here is our daughter in her Halloween costume: she is Chinese by birth and is going for a traditional Chinese look (with oddly Egyptian eyes, but whatever).

Love it.

I may have implied that every last bit of the vegetable processing was done, but in truth this minute I have five pie pumpkins, freshly baked and cooling, and waiting  be scooped, mashed and frozen for pie filling and bread (and possibly a pumpkin pudding cake for dessert tonight).

And then I'm done. Really.

I hope.

 

 

Comments

[donna lee]

I know it was a lot of work but doesn't it feel good to have all of that good food put up for the winter?

We found our squeezo when we were cleaning out the garage and wonder of wonders, the instructions were with it. This means I can scarf up some last minute tomatoes and maybe make some sauce/puree to keep. If I'm really too late, I'll clean it up and put it where I'll see it for next year.

Your daughter is beautiful. My youngest daughter wore a dress like that in blue to her 8th grade dinner dance. When you're young and thin, those are so beautiful.

[heide]

Wow, you are the most productive person ever! The food is amazing and the knits are beautiful. LOVE the new colors of the tencil blend roving.

[Denise]

OMG your daughter looks so beautiful! All this growing up and looking teenager-y must stop immediately!!!

[BeckyinVT]

13 DOZEN ears of corn? I know the processing is a lot of work, but man I wish I had that in my freezer!

Well done all around! I'm pretty sure the gardening is done for the year, at least for me. We've already had snow on the ground twice, and the garlic is planted.

[Mia]

Try some pumpkin butter for the pies. You can either pressure can it or freeze it. Let me know if you want my recipe. You can freeze the pumpkin butter in jelly jars. And I use it as a treat by putting a dab on a cinnamon graham cracker.

And I love roasting the pumpkins. People think I am strange until I tell them how little I spend on good pumpkin verus the cost of the canned stuff. Must get a bigger freezer for next year.

[WhorlWindWeaver]

What a busy but fun souding time. I love freezing basil too and I like that apple peeler. I have something that cores and cuts the apples but I can't find it! Sigh.

[elizabeth]

Your daughter is soooo pretty! And so grown up! It's amazing how that happens...

Love the tweedy look of your yarn and as I was reading about your mitts, with my frozen fingers on the keyboard, I have renewed desire to make work gloves!

[Abby]

I bought one of those apple peelers and tried it for the first time the other day. Not a very successful effort, but the cores of the apples had softened and I didn't really understand what I was doing. Must try again. Now it is time to stop putting food by and to start eating it!

[lisa]

Yowza, you've been busy!

[gayle]

Pumpkin pudding cake? Pumpkin pudding cake? I may have to go on a recipe hunt...
I'm always enthralled by your color blends - such beautiful yarn you make!

[Supra Skate]

Could you run that by me again?I've gotta catch the bus

[Michelle]

Awesome garden haul Jessie!

[Pom Pom]

Oh my goodness, look at you go! Love the fiber pictures - all cozy and lovely!
Your daughter is beautiful!

[Kim]

I love the cabled fingerless mitts and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the cabled hat - it looks like there is no reverse-stockinette ground? I don't suppose you want to write those up or let us know where to get the pattern?

[JessaLu]

Wow you've been busy! The only thing I did was get married ;o) (on Baldwin Hill, even!)

[Robin]

I'm exhausted just reading your post! My taste buds are dancing, though. What a delicious winter you're going to have! Love the yarn on your bobbin - all my favorite colors rolled into one. Your daughter looks so grown-up! When did that happen?

[Betsey]

I came across your blog through The Sanguine Gryphon's and really admired the cabled hat you made for a friend. What pattern did you use, or is it your own design?