Tomatoes Goodbye, Christmas Baking, Hello

Yesterday I finished the last tomatoes, just peeled them and stuck them in the freezer--2 pkg of 3+ lbs.  They look so pretty against my new countertop (or is it the countertop that looks pretty next to the tomatoes?)

I just finished placing all the orders for the 2013 greenhouse season:  trees and shrubs, strawberries, perennials, all different colors of raspberries:  red, purple, black (I didn't want any yellow ones because I don't have the room, and nutritionally, when it comes to berries, the darker, the healthier.  I ordered a different Haskap pollinator, so we should have a lot of good production in that patch.

I also ordered the cutting materials:  geraniums, Martha Washingtons, pot stuffers, hanging basket plants, spikes, grasses.......................

And lots of seeds. I am trying Sophistica Lime petunias and a black petunia from seed (but ordered black plants just to be safe).

I was happy to get nice black square patio pots in many sizes, and one style that still comes in green.  I, personally, don't like terra cotta and sand-colored pots--I don't think they show off the plants.  I love black pots and green pots, especially when the green get older and get a verdi-gris appearance.

This week I have a big pumpkin to bake.  I don't need a big pumpkin right now, but it's just right in the ripeness department, so I'll bake and mash it and freeze it in recipe-size portions.  Can't wait for some muffins.

As I posted earlier on, we had a lot of squashes, so I will share my recipe for squash soup with you.  We like it best with butternut squash, but since I didn't get any of those from the garden, but lots of acorn squashes, I bought a butternut and added an acorn and it's good.  If you look at the picture of the Dill Pickle soup, it looks much the same.

Squash Soup

2 or 3 squash, grated (I use about 1/2-3/4 of my 7-qt. dutch oven full)

5 cloves garlic, minced (or more)

1 large onion, chopped

4Tbs. butter (I use non-hydrog margarine or oil)

1/16 to 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (we like the hot end)

1/2 to 3/4 tsp curry powder (I use the higher end)

1 box low-sodium chicken broth

half and half cream (I use a can of 2% evap. milk)

Melt butter, add shredded squash, garlic and onion.  Heat until soft.  Add enough chicken broth to cover (if the box of broth doesn't do it, I add water)  Add cayenne pepper and curry powder.  Simmer till everything is tender.  Blend in blender (I use the Vita-Mix).  Return to heat and add cream or milk.  Do not boil after cream/milk is added.

I really chilled my green thumb today.  I must admit I had a real mess in the Living Room with all my knitting works in progress and a few others spread out all over.  Kubota Man is showing signs of allergies, which means I have to be a neater housekeeper, particularly dusting.  We are planning on removing the rugs and weighing the pros and cons of alternates.  In the meantime, I did a real good cleaning job.  

I plan on doing Christmas cards this weekend--and couldn't find the address book--which I used a couple of weeks ago to phone my siblings to update them of Mom's declining health.  We spent a week with stuff all over because the new counter tops were installed.  After all the cabinet contents were replaced, and the living room was thoroughly  cleaned, there was no sign of the address book.

Then I had a bright idea!!  I bet it fell into my wastebasket in the living room, right beside me where I drop snipped ends.  But KM had already taken the garbage out to the big trailer.  So that's how I chilled my green thumb.  Took out a bucket of vegetable trimmings to the compost pile, snapped some photos of hoarfrost, and climbed in the trailer to look for the address book.  It WAS there.

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It's really not Santa's fault.  It's that Christmas baking that I'll be doing next week.  It's not even the baking's fault--it's my EATING the baking.

Pop on over to my other blog to catch up with my Christmas knitting and the new countertop.

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends.