“I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.”
Nathaniel Hawthorne
The storms have passed and Autumn is here in full, golden glory. The world seems rich, as if everything has been dipped in shimmering amber. Especially in the morning as the sun rises over yellowed fields glistening with dew.
It’s been wonderful to be out in it each day, strolling through my gardens to see what’s happening, utterly delighted to find asparagus growing again!!! I have the friendliest asparagus that seems to grow when I need it, not when it’s supposed to, as if its sole mission in life is to make me smile.
I was able to get out and plant things this weekend – sugar snap peas, Brussels sprouts, golden beetroot, carrots, kale, lettuces, purple-topped turnips, and, my nemesis, leeks. I love leeks. I’d have an entire garden just for leeks if only they would grow for me. But they flatly refuse. I try different varieties, different soils, full sun, partial shade, lots of water, little water, nothing seems to work. Still I keep trying with firm hope that one day they will give up their stubborn ways and flourish.
In the meantime I take heart in the things that do love to grow – colorful chilies and my favorite yellow pear tomatoes, fat purple eggplants, tender string beans, and elder berries.
On Saturday morning Bear and I took full advantage of the gorgeous Autumn morning and picked another harvest of olives. It’s so nice that our friend’s trees are ripening in stages so we can do little harvests instead of one massive one that would thoroughly tucker me out. It was wonderful out there, breezy and beautiful, and we chatted away as we picked.
Our friend Gary brought me a whole stack of olive recipes that he’s used over the past 30 years, and as I leafed through the hand-written notes I read snippets aloud to Bear. I had no idea there were so many different ways to cure olives. You can slit each one with a knife and soak in fresh water for a short period of time or leave them whole and soak them for a couple of weeks. You can also cure them in wood ashes, an ancient method utilized by people who didn’t have access to salt/salt water. I’m excited to try that.
We welcomed six ducklings to our farm family over the weekend. Aren’t they cute as can be? I love how the morning sun illuminates their downy feathers.
I also like the Autumn sun rising on my favorite tree. It’s a massive gum outside our bedroom window with a lovely twisty trunk with a hollow that is the favorite nesting spot for all sorts of birds. Sometimes wood ducks are in there. One morning we were thrilled to look out the window just in time to see the parents call for their babies. One by one the tiny tots launched themselves out of the nest, plummeted to the ground, bounced once or twice, shook themselves, then toddled off as if they hadn’t just fallen 3o feet. Amazing.
Now it’s time for a cuppa with Bear. It’s getting close to the start of medieval season for us, so we’re working hard on lists and plans and projects. He’s building a medieval bed, I’m making a medieval quilt, and soon we’ll be ready for our first event of the season. We’re excited!!!
What good things did you see and do over the weekend? xo
So much joy! Autumn is my favorite time of year, so it’s fun to enjoy it vicariously from the other side of the world 😀 (I love all the season.) I hope you’ll post pictures of your medieval quilt when you’re ready.
That’s a fabulous photo of the ducklings – I can almost feel their softness!
Spring is in the air here and at last the plants for my balcony arrived. So I sat and savoured the sunshine from my balcony while reading a Camilla Lackberg novel.
Gorgeous pictures! I want those precious ducklings.
So beautiful. I really miss living in a place that is so full of nature. Being in a city is so completely different.
Your vegetables look so amazing and beautiful, I would love to cook with those!
I’m intrigued by the wood ash curing as well Krista ?
How lovely that you get the asparagus popping up whenever you need it. 🙂 It looks very similar to the sort od asparagus we get here in Turkey – but we don’t see it too often, sadly.
Just LOVE those ducklings. Impossible not to. 🙂
Julia
Your ducklings are just adorable! I am jealous of your asparagus too, I just don’t have the motivation to garden in a garden that isn’t mine! We can get asparagus here though, it’s just the big white stuff which isn’t the same…
Your pictures are fantastic. I had no idea how olives are cured. We have a garden plot that’s getting ready for summer plantings. It’s a blessing to grow some of our own food too.
What lovely bright colored photos. The pics of the ducklings are precious. Looking forward to reading more about the Medieval festivities 🙂
Thank you for this snapshot into your beautiful rural life! For the last two years I have brined olives using Burke’s Backyard’s method. This is basically the method of slitting them that you mentioned above. I found that it worked quite well. They looked a bit odd (i.e. small, not exactly jet black and homemade) but they tasted quite good.
Look at all of that lovely fresh produce; so beautiful. And, the ducklings, I’m in love! I, too, am a leek fan, though I’ve never tried growing them. I wish you success with your plantings!
I do so love visiting with you on your farm, it is so calming and relaxing. Your little ducks are so freakin cute, have you named every single one of them? Yay to medieval season, love the posts are always so wonderful. 🙂
Autumn is definitely my favourite time of year – so many beautiful colours of leaves! Your photos are amazing and are making me missed Spring now too.
The ducks are adorable. Enjoy the season!
Your ducklings are absolutely gorgeous! I am totally in love with your beautiful garden! I am hoping at one point to have something similar :! It’s one of my dreams! Fingers crossed the leeks will grow for you! xo
Love those little ducklings, they are like a ball of fluff.
The ducks are cute. You’re preparing for autumn planting and we’re just getting started with our spring planting. It’s always fun to plant no matter the season.
Oh wow, Krista…. beautiful produce, and those babies… so sweet xxx