Replies

Nice topic this week.

Everything is finished here in west Michigan. Hubby used the leaf blower about a dozen times. The last of the red raspberries were picked. Had some late romaine (baby)in a planter on the patio with a plastic plank over it. Last harvest.

Put our first suet cake out for the birds. Hubby cut back asparagus yesterday. Yesterday was really the nicest last day, from here on out looks like the 30's and even the high 20's. They are saying snow here on Tuesday.

As far as gardened made gifts, this is a good one I came up with years ago. We have lots of dried cayenne peppers. I pierce then with a toothpick a few times and use long twist ties to make a couple of lengths to hang to dry. When dry put in a jar like this or nicer yet one of those oil skinny necked one. Jam in as many as you can. Fill with a good light oil, I usually use Bertolli's extra light. Leave out for a few days, the oil will turn a dark pink. Great to use in a frypan when searing any kind of meat, a few drops to make an omelet, anything you can think of really, stir frys, etc. You can always use the peppers afterwards I suppose. I never have as we have so many each year.

I have even made a sprig of a dozen or so peppers with evergreen and twine to make a package decoration. Lots of bluebirds hanging around eating fall berries.

Pretty! You still have Bluebirds! How wonderful. :)

Gifts I am giving this season with some home-made ingredients:

Apple Pie (wrapped and frozen) with French Crumb Topping
A crusty loaf of Herb & Garlic bread
Compound butters (some sweet, some savory)
Salsa
Bloody Mary Mix
Spiced Nuts
Jams and Apple, Pear and Pumpkin Butters

If I feel ambitious, I’ll sew some gift bags for the above items, and I also have some gorgeous homespun fabric for kitchen dish towels...of which I need a few, too! :)

This is the first year I didn’t grow any hot peppers - my brother too. He used to grow the hottest ones he could find, I grow habaneros, which are pretty hot.

They grow well here and last year, I couldn’t give them away. My family finds them far too hot for consumption - my brother said the same about his. He canned a few for my son - who is afraid to open the jar, he put it on a shelf to admire the beautiful color of the peppers.

I may try to grow habaneros again next year - I just need to find someone that loves them that I can give them to.

We have had luck with having bluebirds stay year round here for the last several years. We have 4 houses for them to choose from and they usually pick one each year to have a brood or two. Once the second brood fledges they disappear into the woods for a month or so. I can hear them nearby calling each other all summer. Then when it starts getting chilly they show back up for dried mealworms. I think we are on the edge of their year round territory, and I’m glad to have them.

With winter upon us, we saw a bunch of activity at the feeders. We have every different type so there’s a lot of variety for birds to choose from. Yesterday I got to watch, not one, but two Fox Sparrows scratching at the ground underneath the feeders. I’ve only seen a Fox Sparrow a few times in the 9 years we’ve been here, and yesterday it was fun to see two of them! That always makes me happy, when it’s a bird I don’t get to see often.