We’ve been doing lots of foraging: rose hips, acorns, walnuts, elderberries, and mushrooms. And there’s been so much happening in the kitchen to try and preserve all this goodness plus all the end of the summer garden produce. I’ve had some successes: a cardamom-spiced pear and rose hip jam (recipe for that soon!) which is so good.

And some failures: pickled mushrooms. I thought I’d like pickled mushrooms. I love oil cured ones and I love pickles. But, no, I’m definitely NOT a pickled mushroom kind of person. Oh well. At least I tried it out on some oyster mushrooms (easy to find and plentiful) and a few of our homegrown shiitakes instead of a pile of chanterelles.

By the way, for those interested, we identify mushrooms using Mushrooms Demystified and Everything that the Rain Promises and More. If you live in Northern California I can’t recommend these guides enough.

 

 

 

You may have noticed that I have a new banner! The print is from a hand-carved linocut my very talented friend Dara made for me. We’d been planning it shortly after I started this blog back in January but it took a bit of incubation before it made its appearance. I’m oh so happy with it.

Slowly working on finishing a Christmas tree skirt I started two years ago. It’s turning out really nice but I think I’ll make you wait to see it until I can photograph it under the Christmas tree. A Christmas tree skirt without a Christmas tree just seems wrong somehow. Although Audrey thought I was joking when I said I was sewing a skirt for the Christmas tree. So maybe it’s just kind of a weird item in general.

Also, I’m really excited about this duffle coat pattern in the new issue of Ottobre. One of the best patterns I’ve seen recently. Look at that button clasp at the neck! And the green corduroy pants are really sweet too.

 

 

Making spicy mustard green pesto and slathering it on roasted salmon cakes and tomato salads. It’s wonderful. And yet it hasn’t seemed to make a dent in the quantity of mustard greens in our garden…

Roasting pumpkin after pumpkin and baking ridiculous numbers of pumpkin muffins. Best eaten with a cup of chai and pear rose hip jam, I think. Also making lots of pumpkin smoothies.

Preparing to host a sauerkraut night for a group of fellow lovers of good food. Wine, tasty snacks, and various themed monthly get-togethers. It’s good times.

 

 

 

 

And a dear friend of mine from college is coming from Boston to stay with us for a few days next week. This will be the first time she’s met my babies. I’m very excited to share them with her. How could she not love them?

 

Hope your autumn is off to a good start. And Happy Halloween! Audrey stole my costume (I was supposed to be the white rabbit) so I got out of sewing an Alice dress for our Alice in Wonderland literary theme. Gray was supposed to be one of the hedgehogs from the croquet game, but I lost steam after we lost Alice to the white rabbit. He’s wearing his bear hood instead.