Sweet Harvest Homestead

Morning Walk Report: October 10th

Short and sweet today. The field of sunflowers down the road from my house is absolutely breathtaking! I love the anticipation of coming around the corner and seeing these happy flowers. I brought the *good* camera along with me today so that I could get a better picture for you.

The county came through and mowed the roadside, late yesterday afternoon. The grass clippings gave off a sweet fragrance during my walk....

Remember the cast off TV set that I told you about? Well, the old boys who were doing the mowing decided that it was too much to resist so now that old TV is in about 4,000 pieces. Yep, they ran over it with the bush hog.

Until Next Time.

Morning Walk Report: October 8th. Pumpkin Seeds

This morning, I was treated to a symphony. The owls, wrens and crows all got together and sang a hauntingly beautiful tune that told of rainey mornings, melting into golden October afternoons and the shorter days that are to come.

It was so much cooler this morning, only 59 degrees. The thick grey clouds along with the trees that are on the verge of a color change, made for pretty scenery.
Feeling the cooler temperatures and seeing the pumpkins that are in my neighbors garden reminded me of a recipe that I got on a school day, long ago.

Do any of you fellow classmates from PFMS remember the day that Buddig’s Beef came to school and gave us boxed lunches? It was around Halloween and they served us sandwiches made with Buddig’s Beef along with some chips & cookies. They put stickers in the sandwiches and whomever was lucky enough to bite into a sandwich with a sticker slapped on the meat, got a prize.

Okay, so on to the recipe. The boxes that the little lunches were served in looked like the old Happy Meal boxes. They had interesting facts and games about Halloween and, well, lunch meat. I took my box home because there was a recipe for Toasted Pumpkin Seeds on it.
I still have it. You can see that it is burned around the edges for effect. When we were kids, my brother, Cameron and I were really in to buried treasure. It’s a wonder we didn’t burn the house down because we used to draw maps that showed where we buried some trinket out in the yard. We then wet the map and lit the edges on fire to make it look old. We placed the maps in strategic places, hoping someone would find them and dig up the treasure we buried.

Goodness, I need to learn to stay on topic. I told all of this to say that I must have practiced my art on that recipe card.

When you are carving out your pumpkin this year, why not save your seeds and make up this tasty treat for your family! It might just become a tradition at your house too!

Until next time.

Morning Walk Report: October 7th, Last of the Tomatoes

The rain that moved in last night a brought balmy, almost tropical feel. I am glad that I got out and walked when I did because it is raining as I write this.

Everything smelled wonderful this morning! Did you know that when you *think* you smell rain; you are really just smelling the earth? Moisture heightens smells. Think of man’s best friend, they can smell everything and their nose is always damp. Put it to the test, rub a little water on your nostrils and see if it makes a difference.

My garden is still producing tomatoes. I don’t know if they will turn red before the frost sets in but we can still make use of the green ones by dipping them in a little cornmeal and frying them in bacon grease or making green tomato chutney.
When I snapped this picture of a tomato on the vine this morning, it reminded me of an October day many years ago. It was the year 2000 and my husband, baby son and I drove up from Texas to Tennessee to visit with our family and to take in the sights, smells and good times that only Pigeon Forge can offer during that vibrant & colorful time of year!
We had such a good time on that visit and took Nate to his first pumpkin patch. I think I have a picture of that somewhere……
I was finding it extra hard to leave my Mama at the end of that visit and had a huge lump in my throat when it was time to say our goodbyes and make that long drive back to the Lone Star State.
We were at my Grandmother ( Memmy’s) house and before we left, she said “ Oh wait! let me get you a tomato.” Well, she ran to her tiny garden spot and plucked me off one of the prettiest, autumn tomatoes that you ever saw. It was medium sized and a deep dark red, almost maroon color.
She said “now you fix yourself a good tomato sandwich with this when you get back home.”
I rode with that little treasure by my side and each time I looked at it, it reminded me of my Grandmother and the sweet, simple gifts that she was always giving us.
The next day, after we arrived home, I sliced up that tomato and made myself that sandwich with just bread, salt and a little bit of mayonnaise. You talk about heavenly! I have not had a tomato since that tasted that good.
It’s funny how you can feel the love of your family, from 850 miles away, in a Tomato Sandwich, but I did!

Until next time.

Morning Walk Report: October 3rd, Wildflowers

 I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.

L.L. Montgomery

(Just a word of warning, although the picture of the flowers is beautiful, this post is gross.)

As I set off for my walk this morning, the first thing I came across was a freshly run over rabbit. Blech! I did you a favor and did not snap a picture. Poor little thing.

It was nearly 80 degrees already and I had to quickly shed my jacket. The corn fields near the house have all been harvested and readied for the next planting. I will miss the rustling sound of the corn as the wind blows through it.

Remember all of those wildflowers that I told you about yesterday? Well, I looked them up in my field guide and I made up a bouquet for you to see. Isn’t it amazing how you can make up such a beautiful arrangement, all from items growing along the road side?

When I came around the bend on the way back to the house, the Vultures had already set to work on that rabbit. They have got to be one of God’s ugliest creatures; however, they are also one of the most useful. There will probably be no trace of that rabbit here in a few hours.
I went out of my way to go around those feasting scavengers and cut up through my neighbor’s yard back to my house. My Daddy told me when I was a little girl to never run up and scare a bunch of vultures. When they fly away, they will puke up the contents that they had been eating on you head.

Heavens! Can you imagine? If that ever happened, those old birds would probably start to work on me as I would just pass out cold, right there on the spot.

Until next time.

Morning Walk Report: October 2nd, Sunflowers.

Got out a little later than normal this morning, had to help my daughter with some math and get the boys set up with their science before I could hit the road.
It was quite a bit warmer this morning than it has been the past few days. I had to play dodge nut with the hickory trees as they are dropping their nuts like crazy right now. Have you ever been hit by a falling hickory nut? They are big and it hurts!

The roadsides are alive with color, not from the trees but from wildflowers! I will have consult my NC Wildflower Identification book to find out their names. I saw tiny orange flowers that resembled morning glories. Vibrant blue flowers that looked like violets and tiny purple flowers. Lots of goldenrod too.
The prettiest sight that I saw this morning was the field of sunflowers that our friend planted. It was too wet to plant soy beans in this part of the field earlier this year so he planted these happy flowers instead.

I took a picture of them for you.

The only trees that have shown any sign of change in color are the Sassafras. They are beginning to shift over from green to a deep red. I love to break off a stem and smell that sweet fragrance that they give.

I am happy to report that no one passed me while texting this a.m. Must have been because of my later starting time. In fact, no one passed me at all. Well, no one except that one boy of mine who always seems to finish his work before the rest and rides his bike down to meet me. If he were in traditional school, he would be the one who was always in the hallway during class time. He doesn’t like conformity. Kind of like his Mama.

Until next time.

Morning Walk Report: October 1st, Spider Webs.

I saw a doe and her fawn walking across the road early this morning. The fawn still had spots. Isn't a little late for that?

Also, saw some beautiful spider webs glistening with dew in our field. Snapped a picture of that for you.

We normally don't get a lot of traffic on our road but when a car does come by, they usually give a wide berth and I also step off into the grass until they are safely by. This morning, I saw a lady driving a black truck coming toward me. I stepped off the road into the grass but she didn't get over, I got down in the ditch as she was riding very close to the edge of the road. She passed by and never saw me. She was looking down at her phone the whole time. Wish I had thrown a rock at her.