Pears Picked before the Polar Vortex Arrives!

Well, the world is coming to an end, at least that's how it sounds if you listen to the weather reports. Today it will be a high of 67 and tomorrow morning it will be 30.  With highs in the 30's expected all week, I had to get out and pick more pears. With an abundance of pears and apples I whipped up a fabulous crumble for dessert last night for dinner:

APPLE, PEAR, CRANBERRY CRUMBLE:
3 cups each, apples and pears, peeled and cut up in bite-sized chunks
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Place ingredients in a large pan, heat to medium and mix until cranberries become soft and pop
pour ingredients in a buttered 13X9 baking pan.  Pour prepared topping over the fruit and bake for 35 minutes or until topping is golden brown.  Serve with vanilla ice cream.


Topping:
1/4 cup flour, for gluten free, use almond  or oat flour
1/2 stick of butter, hardened, cut into small slices
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup old fashioned oats

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl, cut in butter until ingredients starts to clump together and becomes small pea-size clumps. Sprinkle over prepared fruit and bake.

Fall Harvest of Fruit At The Farm

We were lucky enough to spend a week in Connecticut, during the peak Foliage Color time.  Everywhere we drove, we were dazzled by the colors.  The photo above is from the field behind my Dad's yard. Spectacular!  I had not seen the leaves in the Northeast for about 20 years.  What a treat!

Then we came home to totally full apple and pear trees and an abundance of veggies waiting to be picked.  With the wonderful cooler weather we have had this summer, our cucumbers and watermelon are still producing.  The apples are big and crisp.  Apple sauce prep this week for sure. We have picked about 40 lb. of apples so far and at least 50 pounds of pears and have hardly made a dent.  If you want a nice Sunday drive, come on out to pick some and take them home.  Bring your own bag, ours are all full!

The baby chickens are now out of their brooder and doing well. They are small but fast and staying away from the adults who try to manipulate them away from the food. They certainly are holding their own and have made friends with the ducks as well.

The kittens are keeping us busy in the house.  A few items got broken and drapes destroyed, but they will soon be spayed and hopefully calm a bit.

I will take new photos of Peekachoo, as his adult colors are coming in.  He now has bright green across his back and his neck and head are royal blue.  He is blazing with color and we are so proud of him.  Later this week I will post some photos of him.

On October 31st, it hit a full freeze.  All the summer plants are gone, now its just a few fall plants left, cabbage, turnip, cauliflower and Spigarella.  I'll replant lettuce and spinach in my cold frame  boxes now. Leaves have come off the trees and Steve is busy with winter clean up.  He will be cutting firewood soon.  Winter is just around the corner.