Day Sixty-Five

Quite a beautiful morning. The temperatures have been incredibly warm and the nights crisp and comforting in the knowledge that the season is soon to change. That's the true beauty of living in the high desert, you tend to experience the seasons more intensely than in other areas were the weather and temperatures are more consistent. I do love the Fall, and this easing in weather we've been having is a delight. It prolongs the sense of change. I don't think I could do without it - it's wonderful knowing that nothing stays fixed in time and that we too are capable of embracing the passages in our own lives as something that is natural and found everywhere in nature. Even our backyard bird families have somewhat moved on. There are a few stragglers - a dove that seems to hang around, a couple of finches and the always present sparrow, but most have gone. We did enjoy the birds even more this year.

The mild weather also produces another bonus - more vegetable harvest. I have so many tomatoes, including some wonderful heirloom varieties which will provide us with some very fresh meals to wind down the season. It seems I put tomatoes on everything these days, but no one's complaining. My pumpkin is still growing but not in leaps and bounds as was the case for the last month or so. It's beginning to get the familiar bright orange tint as it matures and has a nice shape to it as well. I told our neighbor's son that he could have it for Halloween as Bob and I will be gone for the holiday. The butternut squash are maturing nicely as well. I'm still harvesting pattypan squash and have many tomatillos still on the vines. The carrots always weather nicely even when it snows. Yesterday, I picked some, steamed them and made a puree with a little butter and some sage that I had crisped in a pan with a little grapeseed oil. I had cut up an Aidele's pineapple sausage and pan fried it with some Fuji apple slices which made a healthy lunch with the carrot puree. Delicious. We're still pouring the grape syrup over vanilla ice cream for desert each evening. The only thing I wish I had better access to is fresh fish. I could really go for a piece of salmon tonight.

For anyone who loves to cook, I would strongly recommend the magazine Donna Hay. I believe it's one of those magazines that steps good cooking up a notch. The ingredients are simple and focus on fresh produce and other seasonal ingredients. If you're a good cook to begin with, these recipes will help you go to the next level. In the most recent issue (51) the How to Cook section features polenta which is one of my very favorite foods because it is so versatile and, in my book, is a true comfort food. There's a speck and maple beans with thyme toasts recipe that I'm going to put together one of these evenings. Soup, stew and beans are my main Fall repertoire. So easy and quick.