We hung on to summer for as long as we possibly could this year, and even though the weather is still fine, things are looking decidedly like autumn. After last weekend’s little cold snap, the summer plants that were insisting they could still play ball in October finally succumbed to the inevitable change of season. Paul’s been busy on the tractor, turning old plants into the soil with the disc harrow, and laying down seed for a winter cover crop. The beef cows are on the best pasture, stockpiled since late summer and full of lush cool season grasses putting on a final fall show. The cool winds blowing in tell them it’s time to pack on the pounds for winter – good feed and seasonal harvest should make for excellent beef this year.
The cold did affect some of the cold hardy plants in the garden – celery and broccoli are more tender (though not quite as crisp), kale and rutabaga are at peak flavor. And carrots! As good as they have been through late summer, they’re even better now after some serious frost, a signal that tells the plant to send sugar to it’s roots to get ready for winter.
Oh, and there’s bacon.