if it's fall it must be music and molasses time

it's fall...i'm sad to see summer go and i am not looking forward to colder and wetter weather. haven't we had enough already? we haven't been spending as much time in the demo garden. between the weather and the fact that there isn't much going on in the garden, we have been spending time on other things. we did get out there on the 18th and did a little cleaning up in the beds and around the garden.

the trees around the garden are starting to show some fall colors, and it should be quite a sight real soon!

the mexican sage is still going strong, it is covered with the purple spikes and it still attracts nectar lovers.

one of the sure signs that fall has arrived, the music and molasses festival which is held in the ag center near the demo garden.
we found the chuck wagon to be the most interesting part of the festival.

they were actually cooking the food in cauldrons over a fire and it looked pretty good.

here's the chuck wagon lady dishing up a scramble dog-hot dog with chili over it

the menu

this sheep did not seem to mind the shearing-he just laid there like a lump

many call it molasses but sorghum is a whole different product. it may taste like molasses but it is actually the syrup from sorghum canes that is cooked down. this menonite family comes out every year and they bring horses or mules to press the canes. the syrup is collected in a bucket and poured into an open kettle to be cooked.
the syrup cooking, 5 gallons of juice makes 2 quarts of sorghum.

it's not very pretty-rather green when it starts out but it takes on a deep amber color when it's done.

i don't care what you say, mules have very pretty faces!

they even had goat milking for the brave. somehow, i don't think she was enjoying this...

we seem to be getting out to the garden about every two weeks. catch us next time if you like, there may even be cake to enjoy!

it's october, already???

rain rain go away come again another day...how about you just stay away!!! we have had so much rain in the last month that it has made working in the garden tough. we did manage to get out there this sunday. all things considered, it was in surprisingly good shape. there weren't as many weeds as i expected and most the plants look to be faring well for the season.

looking around the garden you can see fall creeping into the landscape. trees are beginning to show color and lose leaves. plants are dying back and fall flowers are screaming for your attention.

every time i look at the herb beds, the basil is bigger and more spectacular. it is beginning to look as if it could take over the whole garden.

one of falls show stoppers, the asters in the rain garden.

the burning bushes are showing a hint of red, the colors should be good this year. we have had a fairly cool and very wet year which is something we have not had for a while.

sunday, 10/4's breakfast was a blueberry muffin cake. sorry, no picture and no cake either. it didn't last long at home! see you next week, join us sometime!

september came and went

its that time of year when things slow down in the garden, except the weeds. plants are responding to the lower temperatures and shorter days by going to seed and dying off. lately, we have just been working to maintain the beds, in other words, remove weeds. the increased rainfall for the month has made this a challenge. can you believe its already fall?

the raingarden still looks great despite the reappearance of southern blight. the asters have come into full bloom and are spectacular, so is the beauty berry.

a close up of the asters in the rain garden

another plant succumbed to the dreaded southern blight

a close up shows the formation of the blight-it looks like little seeds around the base of the stalks causing the plant to die off.

i just can't get over the basil, it has been spectacular this year!

the marigolds are still putting on a show

the junior beds look great but some of the plants are beginning to wind down for the season.

if you take a walk around and look at the various beds, you will come across the bee nectar garden. at first it just looks like an unruly patch of plants. upon closer inspection, you will find an unusual collection of plants that were selected by jim miles to attract and supply bees.

the basil plants in the bee nectar garden were teeming with bees of all kinds. in this photo are some carpenter bees.

coneflowers and plumbago look nice together.

if you come on out on a sunday morning, you will find us working and you may even get to share the cake with us. each week i try to bring a treat for all who come on out to visit or work. this weeks offering, a sourdough gingerbread cake made from my grape starter. you may recall from an earlier post that i gathered some of the grapes from the demo garden and made a starter with them. well, it has been very successful and we have been enjoying homemade sourdough bread by using the starter. you never know what i will bring to the garden for breakfast so you will have to come on out and join us sometime!