Hello Garden Friends,

Hope this finds you happy and at peace during such a challenging time of pushing thru a pandemic; BUT just push thru in Faith not Fear and remember it can not last forever, for this too shall pass!

Yes, it has been a while garden friends and to be honest being in front of a computer more than we all have ever been, is the reason for the delay in sharing with you. When I get moments of not being in front of the screen I prefer to spend time with my family and in nature.  Plus my derriere is quite numb these days, LOL! But today I have mustered up some time to spend with you and I have missed you dearly 😊 please note going forward our time together will be short, sweet and informative hope you will accept this format for now.

So, I had some other things I wanted to share for the blog but changed my mind and figured I would share some interesting things about the month of October.

So here it is….

October comes from the Latin octo “eight” because before our 12 month calendar existed the early Roman calendar designated it as the eighth month but in our current calendar the name stayed the same but it is now the 10^th month!

October 2020 brings two full moons the first full moon of Fall is the Harvest Moon and will appear today Thursday, Oct. 1. Later this month we will see another full moon called the Hunter Moon on Saturday, Oct. 31 it will be rare in that it will be the Halloween Moon and a Blue Moon.

October brings the leaves into full color; the leaf color change is not because of the autumn chilly weather but the lack of light.  The green color of the leaf disappears when photosynthesis (from sunlight) slows down. Trees within direct sunlight will produce red leaves while other ones will turn yellow, orange and brown.

October is all about collecting the harvest and storing your crops, but you still can do some planting of garlic and bulbs. Do this soon if you have not already.  I will still try to plant some arugula now, which I can harvest fully in 30-45 days; so lets see what will happens.

October birth flowers are cosmos and calendula or marigold. Cosmos are a symbol of joy and peace. Calendulas represent thankfulness, excellence and serenity.

Folklores of October

-When deer are in a gray coat in October expect a hard winter.

-Much rain in October, much wind in December.

-A warm October means a cold February.

Let’s pay attention this month and see if any of these will come true.

October joke:

What is a pumpkin’s favorite sport?

Wait for it, wait for it (drumroll)

Answer: Squash!

Too funny and too cute which really is too corny, LOL!!!

Here is a recipe to try after you collect your Fall harvest (or shop at a local farmer’s market 😊)

Roasted Autumn Vegetables

1 1b. small red potatoes quartered or Yukon gold

2 cups peeled butternut squash cut and diced into ½ inch cubes

2 large carrots peeled and cut into ½ inch diagonal slices

2 parsnips peeled and cut into ½ inch diagonal slices

3 Tablespoons of olive oil

1 Tablespoon of fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary

2 gloves of garlic minced

Salt and Pepper to taste

2-3 cups of kale rinsed and chopped

Preheat oven to 450 ^oF

Lightly oil two large baking sheets or one large sheet by cutting ingredients in half

Combine all vegetables, olive oil, rosemary, garlic and salt and pepper in a bowl and toss to coat.

Spread evenly on the baking sheets bake 15 mins then add kale stir bake another 15 mins until vegetables are tender and browned.

Lastly if you need something else to do and want to challenge your brain cells, try this brain puzzle teaser.

The Puzzle

The first part of my word is a verb, add to me one letter and I become a insect, add another and I become a kind of vegetable, add two more letters and I become another name of an insect.

Good luck and the answer will be given next month.

Till then maybe try:

Going for a long cool autumnal hike

 Sitting in the autumn sun

Getting your hands dirty in your garden for as long as you can before everything is put to rest

Relax while sipping on warm spiced drink and reading a great book

Build a bonfire and share it with family and friends

Whatever you choose to do have a Happy October. Enjoy and Take Care!