The view from my kitchen porch in another week or so:
The 'Back Forty' at my other farm, this time each Fall:
“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” — Albert Camus
Posted on 10/01/2026 6:56:54 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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Thanks!
YUM!!! Lentils are SOOOO easy to cook with, too.
You’re very welcome! That’s my personal recipe. I had to stop and think and measure, because I usually cook it by hand and eye!
I never thought to add a potato to Lentil Soup!
But WHERE will I find a POTATO in Wisconsin? ;)
We are right behind, and sometimes tied with, Idaho for potato production every year thanks to the entire center of our state being nothing but ‘Sandy Loam’ which is the best soil for growing root crops.
I rarely plant carrots, onions and potatoes because they are super-cheap in my state. I have bought a 50# sack of potatoes at a farm stand for $10 in the past....when I had 2 teen boys to feed!
One correction: Mom and I were at one of our favorite Farm Stands (Pecks) a few weeks ago and she gave me a hard time about paying $2 for a single ‘Candy’ Onion, grown at their farm.
A. It was a ‘CANDY’ Onion! (Even sweeter than a Vadalia)
B. It was almost as big as my HEAD, LOL! This was an onion you had to hold on to with TWO hands!
C. I left her by the side of the road. Haven’t heard from her since. (JUST KIDDING!!)
West Michigan here, they just started slowly turning this week.
The view from my kitchen porch in another week or so:
The 'Back Forty' at my other farm, this time each Fall:
“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” — Albert Camus
You naughty kitten -- LOL!!
Yes, potatoes. The best -- inexpensive, easy to grow, and full of fiber and vitamin C. No wonder the English committed genocide against the Irish by destroying their main food crop. It was just too sustaining for their hated enemy. I'll have to write myself a reparations check, since I had people on both sides.
The calories are mainly in the things you eat with potatoes, like sour cream and fried onion, or that you cook them with, like frying in oil. I make a potato and cheese soup that is just so delicious, filling, and perfect for the colder weather. Just a baked potato with a little salt, pepper, parsley and a slight drizzle of olive oil is a great, low-calorie lunch. Little red potatoes sautéed or roasted in olive oil? Heaven to go with any roast meat and greens plate.
Re: Candy onions
We used to seed these into 3.5” pots, having lots of seedlings in every pot when sold, and sold them in the 18 count tray (A-18). We had some wholesale customers who really wanted Candy onion seedlings for their retail
customers who asked for them every year. These customers patiently separated the young onion plants and grew them on to maturity. They are extra good.
PS- ha ha, “left her by the side of the road”
🤣
Potato Soup sounds good to me!
Will have to make a batch of it soon.
😊
When we were in NY, potatoes and onions were also so cheap that it wasn’t worth growing them with my very limited garden space.
Here in NY, the agriculture is a fraction of what we had in NY and I have a much bigger garden, so it’s worth it to grow them myself.
But my onion crop was terrible this year. They were small and had little worms in a fair number of them.
Overall the potatoes did well, except for the few the slugs got to.
I still plant the baby potatoes that sprout before I can use them, and get about 4-5 potatoes for each one I plant. That’s counts a win for me! I love the way they taste when they come from my work.
They gave them tomato paste.
Found out last night company is coming the 24th ... whew, at least I have a couple of weeks! Doing “easy”: BBQ from our favorite local joint, Cole slaw & potato salad (both homemade) & some sort of homemade dessert TBD. Everything except the BBQ is cold so that makes it easy - BBQ can be in a crockpot. I might do an apple crisp or cobbler which could be in the oven during lunch, perfuming the air wonderfully & hot/fresh out of the oven. Two sisters are coming - they were here last year & are delightful company so I look forward to seeing them.
The exterminator told me raccoons will pull at attic screens until they get them open - usually takes about two years.
Just had my attic scanned for unwanted critters - so far so good (It’s only been a year and a half).
Never let your guard down.
And, don’t get me started on gophers...
You can worry, or you can trust God. You can't do both at the same time. ;)
👍 Love & appreciate your Sunday postings!
We are having glorious weather. Feeling pretty lazy today.
Thanks! They’re fun to research, depending upon my mood.
I got the greenhouse straightened up to my satisfaction. I decided against starting any greens in there; I’m DONE with gardening for the season, other than mulching a few beds for winter. When Beau gets back home he will run the chainsaw across my asparagus bed and then I can mulch them for the winter months.
I like to start serious garden clean up on those first sunny days in March when I’m just DYING to get out there and DO something. May as well make use of that feeling/ambition as long as it lasts! Besides, once everything is brown and crunchy, it’s SO much easier to pull out of the beds and throw on the fire.
Got the carpeting cleaned upstairs, too. Monday I start on a room a day getting it all spruced up for our ‘Jung Reunion Par-Tay’ next Sunday. Maureen (our Big Boss) may even fly in from CA to see us! I know these people and they are going to inspect every square INCH of my home. When you’ve been in the ‘Garden Center Spring Madness Trenches’ with people, you have NO secrets, LOL!
Only a few friends from that time have already been here to the farm. It’s been 10 years already since I retired. Time flies! Amazingly, we’ve only lost three of the ‘Old Guard’ crew; Robert who was my ‘Dahlia Guy’ and Bill who was just an all-around wonderful man and super smart about...anything. Mary who worked in Nursery and was very dependable. All were totally unexpected losses.
We’ll definitely have a toast to them next Sunday. :)
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