undeserving

Really, I do not deserve to see these lovely, wispy strands of asparagus fern in the photo. I planted it in the spring, mulched 1/8 of it, never watered it, and let the weeds take over. Great strategy, huh? By the time things slowed down enough to look at it, I couldn't see any growth for all of the crab grass that was seeding. Still, I thought it was worth a shot. I weeded, carting 3 or 4 wheel barrow loads of pulled grass out of the bed. I put down Sustane, composted turkey litter, ( the best wedding gift that we received, THANK YOU to Jean and Carol) to fertilize it. I mulched and watered.

New growth is still appearing and quickly growing these fronds. Don't give up is not the lesson to learn here. Don't let things get to this point is the moral of this story.

As high as an elephant's eye

This is not an edible corn but a decorative variety called "Broom Corn." This stalk grew to 12 feet. One summer a fellow farm hand and I went to sleep next to the rows of broom corn in the garden, for, when their dry leaves rustle in the wind, it is a most sweet lullaby.

There is a long stretch in the hot Southern summers when no leafy green foods are available. I took a chance and sowed some arrugula seed early this August. We are so grateful for the much wetter and cooler August we have had this year and have been enjoying fresh salads for 3 weeks now.

Eggcelent idea

An unfamiliar sight for most folks, I am pretty sure that they don't sell them at our local grocery. These Asian Eggplant are superb- thinner skin, easier to cut up, less bitter, and amazing sauteed in olive oil, garlic, and balsamic vinegar.

If you have never tried roasted butternut squash or a soup made from them, you don't know what you are missing. Here is a photo of ours growing. I had hoped to grow enough to see us at least part way through the winter. Alas, I think they may not see the end of this month.

Please, rush to your local farmer's market, buy one, cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, rub it down with olive oil, and roast on 375 for 45 minutes. Enjoy.
Butternut squash is a wonder food along the lines of spinach as far as nutrients goes, as if you would need another reason to eat it. For an Authentic Southern delight, after you have eaten all of the flesh, batter and fry the skins. My hubby is a genius for thinking of this. OMG, so good.

I wanted to share some photos from our farm as the season progressed.
This first one is of a Hubbard squash growing, one of the five varieties of winter storage squashed that I planted this year.