Apple Picking and other Fall things...

Over Thanksgiving (second weekend in October here in Canada)

we spent the weekend with my mother and her man in Brighton.

Brighton is a fantastic place to be in the fall!

Historically, it's major industry was APPLES!

They have an Applefest celebration in September.

They block off the streets to showcase everything to do with apples.

Naturally, we thought this was the place to go apple picking!

Turns out it was a perfect day to pick apples and

Everyone else had the same idea too!

I love the shapes and colours of fall...every size, shape and colour of squash...

Get them now, for they store really well in a cool room most of the winter!

No hydro required.

The funky blue one is a Blue Hubbard squash...I'm seriously tempted to grow these things!

Of course the pick-your-own farms have the usual silliness for family entertainment...

I do love a good apple pun!

(get it...MACintosh apples...)

We love Macs because they are good for just about anything!

Pies, crisps, freezing, baking or just eating plain.

Cricklewood Farm also offered pick your own pumpkins!!!

But better still...they had PICK YOUR OWN FALL RASPBERRIES!

I had no idea such a thing existed...

So, of course we set out to pick one very large pint!

Super sweet...those cool nights does a berry good.

The last time I was at Cricklewood Farm with Owen, was an equally great weather day.

We did the enormous corn maze which changes every year.

The farm was NOT this busy though...but the staff handled it beautifully.

What a great place to stop and spend an afternoon!!!

Also, a guy showed up driving THIS...I was dying to steal it!

I highly recommend this place if you are even close to the area of Trenton or Brighton Ontario.

Stay tuned on a post dedicated to everything we did with 10lbs of apples!!!

Beyond the edge...

Lately I've been obsessed with going outside the lines...

Going beyond the edges.

Now when I say 'edges', I mean to say we all stay in the lines.

We all drive on the roads.  Walk on sidewalks.  Work in buildings.

I want to go where only my eye can go.

I want to wander to the other side of those lines.

When I drive in the countryside...I imagine what lies beyond the trees.

Have you ever wanted to park your car and just walk off into the wilderness?

(ok maybe that's just me)

In the springtime, I have heard a waterfall near our home.
I never knew where it was...only where I thought the sound was coming from.
I finally jumped without a safety net.
I walked beyond the edge...

There were shapes and colours, raw and natural.

There was mica sparkling in the daylight.

 

There was the gentle trickle of life-giving water down the hillside.

I found rocks gathering in huge numbers.

I found peace.  I found tranquility.

I was a nature creature in the wild.

I think its important for us, as human animals, to reconnect with nature.

I have posted about this idea before...but this post is more about the feeling of being in nature.

The feeling of being free.

The feeling of us as animals...and not just corporate entities.

Where do you go for peace?

A few of my favorite things...FALL EDITION

The Things I LOVE about Autumn...

Crispy leaves under your boots

No bugs on our hikes!!!

hot apple cider

colourful leaves

mulled wine
the colours red, orange, brown

root vegetables

cinnamon and nutmeg

comfort foods like shephard's pie

Pumpkin, Squash and Carrot flavoured everything

Apple picking

HALLOWEEN!

Ches likes the end of lawn mowing!
Owen loves stretchy mitts.

*********************

The Things I do NOT love about Autumn...

Bulking up on comfort foods...
the end of summer
hay fever

Owen doesn't like back to school.
Ches isn't a fan of the end of our garden.



What do you love about fall?

A Tale of Two Chilies...

Ah fall...

The time of year we celebrate cooler days, shorter days, woolen mittens,

cozy sweaters, thick socks, falling leaves, apple cider, everything cinnamon...

and hearty-warm-stick-to-your-ribs cookin!

TIME FOR CHILI!!!

I have 2 very different recipes for you, my readers...

Beef Chili

INGREDIENTS:  

Browned ground beef, diced tomatoes x 2 cans, chopped onions, pressed garlic, 

sliced mushrooms, corn, kidney beans x 1 can, 2 tbsp chili powder, dash of beer

Throw everything in pot and simmer for a few hrs.

Serve with johnny cake or cornbread, spoon on a bun or over a hot dog!

(Even great on fries!)

Turkey Pumpkin Chili

INGREDIENTS:  

Browned ground turkey, diced tomatoes x 2 cans, chopped carrots from the garden, 

chick peas x 1 can, chopped onions, corn from the garden, 3 tbsp chili powder, 2 tsp cumin, 2 tsp turmeric

Throw everything in a slow cooker, set the temp for high and cook for 4-6 hrs.

Serve with dinner rolls or bread sticks for yummy dipping!

Although this version of chili may weird some folks out...

It really is worth a try.

I've made it with turkey as well as chicken and they both turn out lovely.

If you are looking for warm meal this fall...try one of these chili recipes!

Healthy, filling and really easy on the budget!!!

We have been taking chili outside for a bonfire in the backyard lately.

You gotta get these activities in while the weather is permitting.

One just had a few of those excellent moon nights where

the moon is so bright...it casts shadows!

What are you doing this fall?

Take a hike....2012

One fall afternoon...

The air was just right.  The breeze was calling me.

The trees beckoned.

A small bird watched as the thoughts came to me...its time to explore the backyard!

First, start by selecting the appropriate trekking clothing.

Long pants, a must.

Sturdy hiking shoes...that is something that is a personal preference.

I like low riding shoes as I like my ankles to have loads of moving room.

Some folks like the ones that allow the support for those ankles.

If you go for the high top hiking shoes, make sure you were them around a bit to break them in BEFORE you trek.  It will help in the long run, I promise.

I also like to don a long sleeved shirt and a vest of some sort.

Wear shorter sleeves if you dare.

I discovered that we have burrs of several types in our property.

(One type as shown above)

Don't pick your best stuff as they will more than likely get wrecked somehow.

I was enjoying the relatively warm balmy weather of September

when I wrote this post...so don't be asking me why the leaves haven't changed yet...

Most of our leaves have changed colour and allowed the wind to blow them from

their lofty homes up in the tree tops.

Our backyard beyond the firepit is very over-grown and wonderful.

It sparks my imagination in ways that haven't been tickled since childhood.

The days of tree forts and expeditions into the wild.

I'm more cautious now and respectful of nature.

It still gets my imagination going...just in new ways now.

I found plants on my property that need identifying!

There was this one above that stood about 1/2 a foot tall.

It had a tubular stem, grass-like clusters of leaves starting at the base

and a tall collection of orange berries on top.

Some wild plant that looked like cilantro.

The flowers on this one was beautiful!

A tall cluster of dried something!

(By the way, I also wear gloves...just in case something I touch

might cause a reaction...we have scads of poison ivy on our property

as well as some poison sumac here and there)

Not sure if this will be white like poison sumac or if the berries will turn blue like

these other plants on our property.

It also seemed late for either of those things...

The berries were close to the ground stemming from a plant

pictured above.

(You can also see some of the baby oaks on our property

in that pic...wondering what kind of oak we have...)

I also found some of the above pictured

pretty purple wild flowers.

I'm not much one for flowers but I appreciate when nature sprinkles them

everywhere.

I had almost forgotten how the flowers leave us in the fall, only to

have nature give us sheets of purple asters everywhere I look.

Grab a pair of sturdy shoes and get outside for a hike.

Explore your own property.

Inspect the hidden corners you never think about.

Nature has surprises waiting for you...



Baked Flying Saucers - Mexican Style!

Its been a while since I did a recipe post...

In case you are wondering, I have been posting those all to my facebook page and group.

(It just seemed to happen like that this summer)

But I promise to stop that and even things out a bit!

We raided my mother in law's garden recently,

grabbing stuff that was just finishing up.

Like more flying saucer squash!

Ideally you want to pick those squashes when they are fist sized,

but like zucchinis, if you blink, they will grow to enormous proportions!

What you see above is ONE paddypan squash!

We halved it and scooped out the seeds and inner flesh.

What you get left over looks kinda like when you scoop out a pumpkin!

You can dry these seeds and roast them in butter and salt just like pumpkin seeds,

but we rinsed the seeds and dried them off for planting next year.

In a frying pan, we added cooked brown/wild rice, black beans drained and rinsed, roma tomatoes chopped and seeded, yellow tomatoes chopped and seeded, pressed garlic, 1 chopped white onion and spices.  The spices include cumin, cayenne powder, S & P to taste.

Cook off the mixture until the moisture is all but gone.

Fill the squashes, top with shredded cheese and bake at 350 degrees C for 30-40 mins.

Each half served one.

AMAZING!

Super healthy and filling for these cool fall evenings.

This dish also qualifies for Meat-Free Monday!

This dish is easily a meal in itself but you can serve it with a small green salad or cucumber/tomato salad.

I was STUFFED with just the squash...(pun intended)

Anyway, check out my facebook group or page (link beside this post)

for more tips, tricks, recipes and photos from other readers and their garden creations!

Enjoy this wonderful fall!

A day in the wild...

Let me start by saying that this post has nothing to do with cooking or gardening...so you'll just have to bear with me.

After 7 weeks away in Ottawa, I really had to come to terms with the amount of time I had just spent away from my family and my home.  One of the things I had no idea I was going to miss was just being in nature.  It was such a simple thing that I missed.

The ability to go somewhere without hearing man made noise.

Fortunately, I am able to drive less than 20 min from my home and find such a place.  Even more fortunate am I that I have wonderful family that invites me to share in this place.

I drive the long country road that takes me to this place on a grey day that was threatening rain.

I feel not just that I have escaped from the city, but that I may have been transported back into the times of the settlers.  This may have been my backyard as an early pioneer in these parts.

Paddling around a secluded lake on a day without work.

Its actually the backyard of the hunting camp that is a part of my husband's family.  This day trip was not about hunting though.  It was about reconnecting.  With family, friends and nature.

The hunting camp started with humble beginnings but now features such luxuries as indoor toilets and a tv.

I was excited to get out on the bikes.  I haven't been on an atv run in a long while.  Its a popular past time with my in-laws...so I get to visit with them while exploring a raw and rudged landscape that swings from bold and beautiful to other-worldy and alien.

The familiar trees were oak and sumac.  Amazing that these trees could grow on top of not much more than rock.  The ground cover plants started to take on alien life forms.

Down a pine-needle filled pathway we discovered the gateway

to Scanlon Lake (or as some maps say Sexton Lake). 

The lake was misty and quiet.  Like glass laid in front of the rocks at the shoreline.  I could picture native gatherers crossing this body of water in stealthy canoes.  

We took our lunch break and enjoyed the peaceful quiet.   I could image early settlers fishing in small boats or playing one of the first recorded games of hockey. 

This was a relative of mine back in the early 1900's (picture actually taken in the Tweed area I believe).

I could picture this as my home.  I could be a hunter/gatherer and live in this land.  My mind began to race with the possibilities.  Is there enough in this rocky area to survive?  Our tour pressed on and my eyes were trying to spot the possibilities...

I suddenly wished I had spent the last 7 weeks reading Steve Brill's book call "Identifying & Harvesting Edible & Medicinal Plants in Wild (and not so wild) Places"...as I have no idea what these berries were.  They had a kind of spike on their leaf...so I took the hint and moved on.  It was on the verge of rain all afternoon...so I was glad that I HADN'T brought the book with me.

Mushrooms are another thing I know virtually nothing about...I can spot a puffball and a morel with confidence, but that is where I draw the line.  These white suckers were enormous!  Probably could have made a meal out of each of them....but I was smart enough to take pictures now and do the research later.

One of the great things about this property is the personal history.  There is a monument built to my mother-in-law's parents Chester and Sarah.  It represents a spectacular view of the property and a connection to nature that is being passed down through the generations.  Owen is the next family member in our wee family that has yet to see the monument. 

On the plaque is the phrase "Some people go their whole lives, without seeing anything like this".  A pause to reflect how true that statement really is.

At what felt like the peak of a mountain, the landscape started to feel alien.  The groundcover plants looked like they should have been grown in an aquarium.  The textures of these plants were spectacular!  Spikey stars with bright orange mushrooms erupting from them. 

Like coral but on the surface of a rock! 

Wild strawberries and their runners in action.

Moss that looks like shag carpeting...

Juniper berries by the bucketload...but not quite ripe enough.

Moss that appears to form little higways aross the rocks...

I could imagine pioneer beaver trappers traversing through land like this to make their wages.

The rocks suddenly changed the colour of the landscape!

We could see the rain coming in the distance and decided to head on back to the camp. 

I had one last commune with the landscape before it was time to head back to my home in cottage country.  My mind was filled with thoughts of early settler life, getting back to basics and reading that encyclopedia by Steve Brill.  I vow to know more edible plants the next time I get invited back to the hunting camp.

What do you do to escape the urban sprawl and get back in touch with our natural selves?