I love fall for a number of reasons, but at the top of the list are the many varieties of pumpkin desserts. This recipe has been around for a long time and I have seen it called Pumpkin Crunch, Pumpkin Cake, Pumpkin Surprise, and I am sure there are others. I can guarantee that the one thing you will call it is absolutely delicious! It is a favorite of my family.
Author: Pat
Fall
Fall is my favorite season. Even though I know what follows – winter – I can’t help but be energized and inspired by the beauty of fall.
FALL
Where has the summer gone? Is it really fall?
A Bountiful Harvest
This has been a very challenging growing season. The spring was extremely wet and cool. And the summer brought hot and dry weather. I was really concerned that the harvest this year would be quite small. But that was not the case and we were blessed with plenty of tomatoes and sweet corn. The last blog told about my first attempt at canning tomato juice. It was much easier than I thought it would be and I can’t wait to use the juice this winter. Freezing sweet corn is something that I do each fall. It does take time and can be a bit messy, but it is so well worth the effort.
CANNING TOMATO JUICE
Remember this picture that was posted in July?
State Fair Time
Where does the time go? This entire summer seems to be a blur. I can’t believe it is August let alone mid-August!! The past two weeks have been extremely busy. Getting ready for the start of school, harvesting my abundant tomato crop, admiring the beautiful flowers that continue to flourish, and making cookies to enter in the State Fair.
This year I did not enter jelly, only cookies in the State Fair – Old-Fashioned Sugar, Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter, and Sugar Drops. Every year I wonder why I enter the State Fair. It does time a lot of time and energy to do all the baking, select 4 perfect cookies, type the recipes, attach the recipes to the entry tags, attach the entry tag and receipt to the paper plate, put everything in a Ziploc bag, and drive one hour and fifteen minutes to Springfield. And all the way to Springfield I am thinking of everything that I did wrong while I was baking the cookies and that the 4 perfect cookies that I selected from each batch were not the ones that I should have chosen. As I anxiously check the competition results and see the names of so many talented bakers and cooks from around the state, I think there is no way that I can compete with them. And then I see my name – 3rd Place – Sugar drop plain cookie! I am so thrilled and proud whenever one of my entries places as the State Fair. It makes all the work and anxiety worth it!!Read More »
MID-JULY ON THE FARM
With another round of thunderstorms and severe weather in the area last night, I took a quick walk around the farm to see how things were growing. Since we have had record rainfall this summer, the crops and flowers look fantastic. Luckily, we have not had any standing water in the fields so things are lush and brilliant. I hope you enjoy these pictures of what’s growing on the farm.
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!
NEW LIFE FOR AN OLD TABLE
At a recent auction, I spotted an old drop leaf table that was in desperate need of some TLC. I love to find used and weathered items and give them new life. Older furniture built with solid wood have great bones, durability, and amazing character. Here is my bargain $20.00 treasure!
A BEAUTIFUL SPRING
It is a spectacular spring day on our farm on Grange Hall Road. I love this time of the year and watching the outside come to life with beautiful bright colors, extraordinary floral smells, and the spirt of hope and renewal after a long, cold winter. And it is even more meaningful for me as I continue to gain back my strength and stamina after a bout with pneumonia for most of the month of April.
Home On Grange Hall Road 