Suddenly winter

After the six inches of snow, temperatures dropped to the mid-teens. The day after that, a strong wind pretty much blew all the leaves off the trees. Fall does not normally transition to winter quite so abruptly.

The trees lost their leaves between Friday and Saturday

The farmers have harvested most of the soybeans. I saw combines and grain trucks in the corn fields today. That’s a sure sign of November. I am remembering certain aspects of winter that I tend to block out: wind that hurts your face and makes your nose run, chapped lips, dry skin, hair that will not curl, putting on and taking off layers of clothing/footwear, cold feet. Yet there are plenty of things that I enjoy: crisp air, deep blue skies, no mosquitoes, the silence of new snow, hot chocolate, flannel pajamas, cozy extra blankets, fuzzy sweatshirts, soft wool socks, slow-cooked suppers. As with most things, there are plusses and minuses.

With the Brussels sprouts all harvested, the raised beds were finally empty except for one frost-damaged parsley plant. Sunday morning, I moved the fence before I let the girls out because they love to scratch and dust bathe in the raised beds. Shortly after I opened the coop, Hilda saw 8 of the 10 chickens pecking at the parsley. Yesterday, I got a picture of the hens pecking at the naked petioles of the bedraggled parsley. Best thing ever!

Parsley! Best thing ever!

The pullets have finally started laying. Here is an assortment of eggs showing (left to right) Whiting true green, whiting true blue or Americauna, Australorp, and Dominique. We are getting three to six eggs a day. Egg shortages are a thing of the past. 

Eggs, left to right: Whiting true green, Whiting true blue or Americauna, Australorp, Dominque

I mentioned in a recent post that I had stuffed Cornish hens with Brussels sprouts. I have also roasted and steamed Brussels sprouts. This year was the first time I sautéed Brussels sprouts in butter and tossed them with crumbled bacon. It was a revelation. I didn’t freeze very many Brussels sprouts this year. They are not as good as fresh. I am wondering if the frozen sprouts will be good sautéed in butter with bacon. What’s not to like?

Brussels sprouts sauteed in butter and tossed with bacon

Here’s a funny story. When Jane was going through some boxes in her basement, she came across this:

SpongeBob Pez dispenser

She said, “I must have gotten it as a gift for you, but I forgot I had it. I don’t know how old it is.”

I replied, “I don’t think the candy goes bad.”

“It was never good to begin with,” Jane correctly observed.