The weekend revisited.

Savoy cabbage bought at the Farmers Market.
Isn't it beautiful?

Such a chaotic weekend - I was thither and yon both days.  So was the weather.  Mostly thither, I think.  Saturday I had a long list to work through at my parents', then had to race back to get the barn re-reorganized for my 100 bales of hay (oh, yeah!!!)  My farmer/neighbor picked me up in his new-to-him 1978 truck with a box body and we clacked, clanged, chugged and alternately screeched, jerked and shimmied up the mountain to get the hay.  The engine/exhaust system was so loud we had to yell at each other.  But we made it.  Thankfully, the rain held off long enough for us to toss the bales into the truck, then shimmy, etc. down the mountain, where we stacked all those lovely bales floor-to-ceiling.  I kept opening the door and looking in.  I had to pinch myself!  There is nothing like a nice stock of hay to make the world seem brighter.  And thank goodness I had help stacking.  I am good to stack four-high, but the farmer can heft those babies up six-high!  Even the little goats were appreciative of the added warmth a barnful of hay bale provides.  They have their little Dogloo to sleep in, but the hay helps temper the noise of rain on the metal roof.

While I was waiting to be picked up for the hay ride, I got two raised beds weeded, hoed and raked - ready for garlic planting.  I also started on the mat of weeds that had overtaken my tomato/herb bed.  I left the parsley plants because they were so healthy, although I might have to cover the bed if the temps drop as they are forecast to do later this week.  I squeezed garlic-planting in on Sunday morning - with my high-tech, surefired planting method - broomstick marked at 3".  I still have room, so I am on the look-out for more seed garlic.  So far, I've planted seed garlic from Marianne (it was so big, it was mistaken for Elephant garlic - llama beans!!!), my saved seed garlic from this year's crop, Keeper from The Garlic Store, and Susanville (how could I NOT plant that?), also from The Garlic Store.  Susanville is a softneck variety, while the others are all hardneck.  I'd like to plant the rest of the bed and another third of the second, leaving the rest of the second bed for onions.  I still have to mulch it and I wanted to plant spinach, but ran out of time, light and opportunity. 

On Sunday, I drove up to Melanie's, where she had generously offered to help me fill buckets full of apple drops from their trees for the sheep (and me).  She has had an amazing apple crop!  I love her sheep.  She let them out into the field where we were picking and they rocketed out - leaping and running!  It was wonderful to watch.  They are beautiful Shetlands.  I brought whey for her friendly Tamworth pig, and I always love to watch the amazing array of poultry free ranging around their farm.  It's a little piece of heaven.  Marianne joined us and we had a nice get-together.  I left with the back of the Ford filled with apples and the nice, warm feeling I always have after spending time with the Ms.  I stopped on my way home to make two visits, as I am trying not to do nothing but work all weekend.  They were short but sweet (the visits, that is), and one visit resulted in my gleaning three large, sweet red peppers!  By the time I got home, it started to rain off and on.  I let the sheep out into the back fenced area and got a wire enclosure around one of my two apple trees.  I would love to let them graze without supervision, but Hoosier is way too fond of my little apple trees.  I have one more to protect, then my one surviving cherry.  Then they can have a ball.

Faced with a very small amount of flour remaining in my stash, I had a challenge coming up with something to bake for the barn crew on Sunday morning.  I ended up with Fudge Drops, from the KAF Bakers Companion - one of my favorites.  It only used 3/4C of flour.  Which I had.  Just.  It also calls for 2C of semi-sweet chocolate bits.  The mixture is very much like brownie batter - just a little thicker.  The cookies bake into crackly molten chocolate disks.  They smelled wonderful!  The dogs and I dropped them off at the milking parlor on our morning walk.  They got a five thumbs up!  Now that I am flourless, I am backed to the wall - the next thing I bake MUST be gluten free!

I put on a crock pot full of butternut squash chili, based on the delicious recipe I found over at Thy Hand Hath Provided, for Saturday's dinner and my week of lunches.  I didn't have black beans so I used red beans, but used everything else (I also halved the recipe, since I am the  only one I'm serving!)  Since I was on a winter squash trend, I whipped up a batch of Pumpkin Hummus that was to die for!  I brought it along to dinner Sunday at Sylvie's and it was good!  I will be making this many times this winter.  I got the recipe here.  I didn't swirl the honey on top, nor did I garnish it with chickpeas.  It is incredibly light.  I'm going to try the pumpkin cornbread next, with a non-wheat baking mix I've concocted.  Sylvie made a wonderful stew with butternut squash, apples and apple sausage.  I am still waiting for the recipe (ahem - tap, tap, tap, tap).  Such a healthy, sumptuous weekend!  I got two of my UFOs done - both the cotton tab towels.  I gave one to my mother and the other....well, the holidays are coming. 

My Meyer lemon tree is loaded with lemons and they are finally starting to ripen!  I got out her winter grow light and hung it overhead.  Nothing is too good for my lemon tree.  I also managed to get all of my laundry done and hung out.  Of course, it's still drying, thanks to the rain.  But it's supposed to be clear today and most of tomorrow, so I'm hoping everything will eventually dry on the line.  The weekend was a perfect balance of work and friends.