Today we put the garden to bed for the winter. The garlic has been planted and then John added the alpaca compost to the soil along with some lobster compost and a good roto-tilling. It looks so ready for next spring’s planting. We also planted over 100 daffodil bulbs which I said to John is such a sign of hope. How fun it will be to see them come up next spring, maybe through some late spring snow, and bring some much needed color after a winter of white. We also got our first taste of that winter white when we woke up yesterday and drove a mere 1/4 mile up to the main street in town and started to see cars covered in white and then lawns covered in white. We had nothing at our house but everywhere in town there was snow. This picture says it all. Stop – we are not ready for this yet.

Rain and Walking Afterwards

Finally we got some much needed rain. Everything was so dry around here. The streams were very low and we certainly hadn’t seen a waterfall since sometime last spring. It was noticeable that I had to take a picture of it. The Blackwater is very high. Where I usually sit on the rocks for a break and let the dogs have a swim was not possible – the rocks were under water. I was actually a little afraid to let Bean go in the water because the current seemed to be very strong and I wasn’t sure she could handle it. I was definitely not prepared to go in and get her if she got into trouble. There was even a little snow at the top of Mt. Kearsarge. It was quite the storm but again, we needed the rain very badly. It was also, timing wise, perfect as we had our trees and bushes planted right before the rains came.

There is a beautiful clump birch, a Japanese maple, some holly and off towards the road three arborvitae which are the basis for a softening of the distance between the house and the road. We hope to add a rock garden in there somewhere.

Update on Jenny Lane

We have closed in the screen porch which is the green portion of the addition. John’s job was to take down the ceiling and the inside wall of the screen porch which he did at the beginning of the week. We were happy to find a good ceiling height under the yucky plywood ceiling that was there. Then the boys showed up and they removed the screens and framed in the outside walls. We were so excited to see the first windows go in. We were afraid it would feel smaller but absolutely not. It feels bigger and brighter much to our surprise. In this picture you can see Katie’s designed staircase which replaced a very rotten and rickety staircase that used to be there. Now we have a small platform that is the perfect size for the grill just outside the kitchen. Excellent for grilling. The red portion of the addition is the new bonus+ room. It was supposed to be a woodshed but turned out to be much, much more. Now it is going to be an office and has a beautiful view into the woods. The patio was rebuilt when the new drains were put in last fall and now we have chairs and tables and a wonderful Solo Stove fire pit to enjoy to make the outdoors last a bit longer.

Cooking this Week

Lots of soup and bread making this week. Yesterday was a marathon of cooking with a lovely, warm, stew made by John as well as a banana bread, then an apple crisp by Katie and two loaves of bread by Lou. Lovely smells to warm you on a cool fall day. We had to get ready for some inside work so we moved the furniture around a little bit. The room looks twice as big and wait until they take down the interior wall. It will be huge and open and very bright. Here is a recipe for a very pretty soup that you might enjoy.

Two-Tone Root Vegetable Soup (Canadian Living)

INGREDIENTS
2% plain yogurt
Ruby Red Beet Soup:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 shallots diced
4 cloves garlic minced
4 cups cubed (1/2 inch/1 cm) peeled beets
2 cups vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Zingy Ginger-Carrot Soup:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 shallots diced
4 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons red curry paste
3 cups cubed (1/2 inch/2 cm) peeled carrots
1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper

METHOD
Ruby Red Beet Soup: In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat; cook shallots and garlic, stirring often, until shallots are softened, about 3 minutes. Add beets; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in broth, 1 cup water, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper (if using). Bring to boil; reduce heat, partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until beets are fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in dill. In blender in batches, pur?e until smooth.?

Zingy Ginger Carrot Soup: Meanwhile, in separate large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat; cook shallots, garlic and ginger, stirring often, until shallots are softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in curry paste; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in carrots; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in broth, 1 1/2 cups water, salt and pepper. Bring to boil; reduce heat, partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots are fork-tender, about 15 minutes. In blender in batches, pur?e until smooth.?

For each serving, simultaneously pour both soups into soup bowl from opposite edges. Stir yogurt until smooth; spoon into piping bag fitted with small plain tip. Pipe desired design over soup.

NUTRITIONAL FACTS
Per serving with 2 tbsp yogurt: about
Fibre3 g Sodium748 mg Sugars11 g Protein5 g Calories139.0
Total fat6 g Potassium478 mg Cholesterol6 mg Saturated fat1 g
Total carbohydrate20 %
Iron8.0 Folate30.0 Calcium9.0 Vitamin A105.0 Vitamin C10.0