September 2, 2010

The morrow was a bright September morn;

The earth was beautiful as if new-born;

There was that nameless splendor everywhere

That wild exhilaration in the air.

–Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–82)

It always amazing me when the “wild exhilaration” that Longfellow talks about hits right on time – September. We went to our first high school football game last Friday night. Although we were in shorts and tank tops, still there was a feel in the air…

As usual I look forward to all the delights and beauties of autumn. At the same time I wrestle with the melancholy of the season. Winter is on the way… *sigh*.

I was serenaded by the music of insects as I took my usual walk today between the clouds. The chirp of crickets, along with the whirr and hum of countless other creatures lifted my spirits.  Wild asters are joining the dusky gold plumes of goldenrod in the ditches. Purple clover blossoms are liberally sprinkled throughout.

The tangy smell of fall is beginning to drift from under the eaves of the woods. White clouds drifting in that September blue sky…  beautiful.

My spirits did need some repair – it rained yet again last night. My almanac total for the month of August was 11.7 inches of rain! It joins a record (for me) of 6.15 inches for June and another 6 inches for the month of July! Wow. And we are well on our way already in September with .7 that came last night. Well, this is still better than drought. I am counting my blessings.

The rainy summer really is taking its toll on my garden. I dug our onions on Monday before we got more rain. I was pleasantly surprised with a decent crop. They will be a welcome part of cooking this winter!

The tomatoes are just not going to do that well. They are literally rotting on the vine, and those that I pick easily rot just sitting on the kitchen counter. I am trying to use them up FAST! I think the squash are doing okay. It remains to be seen when we will get our first frost, but if that holds off I should have quite a few.

We are only 21 days from the official beginning of autumn. The sun rose this morning (behind the rain clouds) at 6:32 am. It will set this evening at 7:44 pm. For those who want to know, that is 13 hours and 12 minutes of daylight! Remember to appreciate every second of it!

I am going to get all my parsley and basil harvested this week. I plan to pick all the peppers as well. I will freeze the ones I can’t use right away.

I am seeing lots of pears and peaches and other fall fruits in the supermarkets. My sister shared her delicious recipe for Pear Salsa with me this week. I am excited to try it. I promised to give you the recipe, so here it is. Turns out it is from a Ball canning book.

Peppery Pear Salsa

1 cup white vinegar

8 cups chopped peeled pears

3 red bell peppers chopped and seeded

3 green bell peppers chopped and seeded

1 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons salt

2 teaspoons dry mustard

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon allspice

½ teaspoon black pepper

Chop the pears into the vinegar to keep them from browning. Add peppers and all seasoning. Bring to a boil at medium high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and boil for about 5 minutes until slightly thickened.

Put into prepared canning jars, hot water bath for 20 minutes. Remove canner lid and wait 5 minutes to remove jars from hot water bath.

I shortened up the detailed instructions that Ball provides with this recipe. I would think if you google Ball canning recipes you can get more help if you are just learning how to can and need more help. My sister is a “Master Canner” and tells me the reason you let the jars cool off somewhat in the canner before removing them is so the ingredients boiling in the jars can settle down and not boil out of the jars.

I was really surprised at how much I liked Pear Salsa! It has a really unique sweet-sour-peppery taste, and goes great with tortilla chips. My sister also mentioned Peach Salsa she is going to make. I surfed the web a bit to find some recipes that look good. Here are two that you make and just use fresh. I am sure there are also recipes out there for canned Peach Salsa.

Peach Salsa #1

2 ripe, but firm medium peaches

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1/2 cup diced red and/or green bell pepper

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

1 teaspoon (or to taste) minced jalapeno pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

fresh ground black pepper to taste

Peach Salsa #2 With Red Tomatoes

1 cup diced peaches (about 2)

1 cup cubed seeded tomato (about 3)

1/4 cup sliced green onions

2 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoon cider vinegar

1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 dash of fresh ground pepper

Preparation:

1. Cut the peaches into half-inch cubes, sweet peppers into somewhat smaller chunks, chop any cilantro, finely chop any onions and mince any especially pungent ingredients, such as jalapenos, chipotles or ginger.

2. Blend any oils and fruit juices or vinegars together before combining with other ingredients.

3. If you care to peel your peaches and/or tomatoes, plunging them into boiling water for 15 or 20 seconds will make it easier to slip the skins off. (I would skin them if I were you. Peach skin feels like wet toilet paper on the tongue…)

4. You should let the salsa sit for at least five minutes before tasting to see if you need to adjust the seasoning, for example by adding more lime juice, vinegar, cilantro, jalapeno or salt. You should prepare the salsa at least an hour, or as much as day or two, before serving, to allow the flavors to fully meld.

I always enjoy reading old Weather Lore. Here are some tidbits to keep in mind for our autumn weather:

• Frogs croaking more than usual, moles digging up soil more than usual, and oxen licking their forefeet all mean rain.

• Cats remaining indoors with listless behavior forecast wet or windy weather.

• Owls hooting and screeching during bad weather mean fine weather's near.

• Plenty of berries or acorns indicate a severe winter ahead.

• Swallows flying near the ground, robins coming near the house, and sparrows chirping a great deal mean rain or wind.

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