FALL IS IN THE AIR

At our house nothing says Fall like the aroma of German Apple Cake baking in the oven. This recipe comes from the King Arthur Cookbook. It is a layered cake beginning with batter, apples that have been tossed in sugar and spices, and batter once again. It is moist cake and oh sooooooooo delicious. I enjoy it plain with a glass of fresh cider and my husband tops his off with whipped cream and a cold glass of milk. When it comes to spices for fall baking, I believe it is a good idea to invest in quality. My mother introduced me to these spice grinders. I happened to purchase different brands as that is what the grocery store had in stock, but both seem of equal quality.

Yesterday while out in the yard, I decided to "play" with my camera. Now as far as camera's go my Canon G10 is on the lower end of the price scale, but was the perfect camera for me to learn with. So I take hundreds of photos and if I'm really lucky one might be "blog-able". Many of you take the most incredible photos I have ever seen, I do aspire to be as good as you and yes you know who you are! So here are a few photos that I took around the yard yesterday...no photoshop, as If I could even figure photoshop out....I can hardly decipher my camera's manual.

So, my kind and friendly readers I am open to any and all suggestions, especially If you own a G-10. My mantra is "even an old dog can learn a new trick"!

SUNDAY GREETINGS

The days here are Dog Trot Farm have become noticeably shorter. In fact short enough for the timer to the girl's coop lighting to once again be activated. The once subtle signs of Fall have now begun in full force. The trees along our driveway are now taking on the colorful magic that only Fall can provide. The majority of garden flowers have succumbed to the cool Fall nights, as the perennial beds have now been put to rest for the season, with the one exception being a few strong willed Cosmos. The window box on our porch refuses to relent to the cool temperatures and still blooms profusely.

Fern and Phoebe, my two timid Silver Laced Wyandottes, have grown into beautiful young chickens. They are a bit aloof, very prim and proper and have incorporated themselves into the flock without much fanfare. They know enough to remain out of my big girl's way. They are strong willed, allowing no one to pluck the beautiful plumage out of their pretty little behinds. As you may recall I have a feather plucker in my flock, Miss Pearly Mae.

I spied this little homemade stand at Goodwill the other day. I saw potential in it, especially with a price tag of $4.99, I thought it was a bargain. I brought it home, cleaned it off and gave it a sanding. I will apply a couple coats of paint, sand and then apply Bri-Wax to give it that primitive look that I love. I will give it a proper "reveal" in a future post.

I participated in the Fall/Harvest Swap hosted by "Char" from the blog "The Pickled Pepper Patch". I was paired up with Allison of the blog "Sew Many Girls." My package arrived Saturday, Allison sent a wonderful variety of Fall items. The first thing I noticed was the wonderful aroma coming from the box- 4 wonderfully scented candles gave off a sweet smelling scent. Also included was a Fall kitchen towel, note pad, harvest painted wooden pumpkin, cloth pumpkins, Fall cloth tuck, salt dough ornaments, and a waxed tin can. Many of the items were made by Allison. A big thank you Allison, I loved my Fall swap items.

This evening while checking my e-mail I learned that I had won a beautiful little hooked mat from Kim of the blog "Millie's Mats". Kim, I am so excited to learn that I have been chosen to display one of your beautiful mat's here at Dog Trot Farm. Thank you! With that I bid you all a good evening, it's time for" The Amazing Race".

A GIFT

Today I received a surprise in the mail. Yes as you can see it is a bag of beans -Pinto beans that is. They have made the journey all the way from Colorado. Linda, proprietor of the blog "Life on a Colorado Farm" is a farmer's wife (and oh so much more) graciously offered to send me some. These beans are one of the main products from their farm. As we all know a farmer works from sun up till sun down and that also includes the farmer's wife! Thank you so much Linda it was so nice to receive a package on this dark and dreary day here in Maine. Now it's time to dust the bean pot off!

A PERFECT AUTUMN DAY

"I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as Autumn sunshine by staying in the house.
So I spend almost all daylight hours in the open air.~Nathanial Hawthorne." Perfect words for a perfect day. Fall Asters remain in bloom in the perennial bed.

A touch of Fall color can now be seen in the treeline along our dirt driveway. The lamp post is now decorated for Fall. I just love my lantern, it was a birthday gift from my parents. Thank you Mom and Dad, it blends in nicely here at Dog Trot Farm. Mums are in full bloom....I ask you how can anyone not love Mums?

Mrs. Scarecrow is now in place, wardrobe courtesy of Goodwill.I do hope your Saturday was as lovely as mine. These are the days we savor, attempting to get all our Fall chores completed before the cold weather sets in...boy does time fly....I do believe my Grandmother was correct when she said "the older you get the faster time goes" Amen to that....

PUMPKIN BREAD RECIPE

This morning I began my day by adding a few more Fall touches to my inside decor....as many of you realize by now I love crows....and the color black.... and my Salmon Falls Pottery....and the color orange....

and pumpkins....especially ones that are grown in the shade of teal blue'green....which happens to be my favorite color....black, orange and teal....yup it's quite a color combination....

My cousin Eve, who is a professional photographer (yes, you are) has taken many of the photos you will find displayed in my home....

my little owl vignette.... and yes Eve also took the photo of the owl. Thank you Evie.

I have received numerous requests for the Pumpkin Bread recipe which I blogged about yesterday and I am only too happy to share.

~ Pumpkin Bread~

4 Eggs-farm fresh

2/3 cup water

1 cup vegetable oil (I use canola)

1 16-ounce can pumpkin

3 1/3 cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

Pinch powered cloves

3 cups granulated sugar

Beat eggs. Add oil, water and pumpkin and mix well.

Sift flour. Measure and sift together with sugar, soda, salt and spices. Make a well in the center of these ingredients and add pumpkin mixture to this. Stir well. ( I confess I did use my Kitchen Aid Mixer) Turn into 2 large well oiled loaf pans. Bake 350 for 1 hour. Place loaf pans on cooling rack. Once cool, remove and wrap in foil or plastic wrap and store or freeze. ~I do realize spices are pretty hefty in price, however I do believe it is wise to use quality spices in this recipe and not ones purchased from the Dollar Store. (I use Dollar Store Spices for craft projects). Just my personal opinion.
My copy of Marjorie Standish's cookbook Cooking Down East is 33 years old, it was a wedding shower gift. I have used this cookbook more than any other (yes, that even includes Martha, Ina, Julia and many more. If you happen to spy a copy at an antique mall, flea market or yard sale, grab it- you won't be disappointed.

SPICE IS IN THE AIR

Just look at what has returned to the grocery store shelf.... canned pumpkin. This afternoon the aroma of pumpkin and spices filled the kitchen air and the hum of my Kitchen Aid mixer which was hard at work....

An hour later, two perfect loaves of pumpkin bread hot and just out of the oven. My tried and true recipe is from the cookbook Cooking Down East by Marjorie Standish. There are times I have added diced apple, raisins or chocolate chips to this recipe however, my personal favorite is fresh cranberries. For now I need to remain patient and wait for cranberries to hit the produce section. The above loaves are perfect with a slab of cream cheese and a glass of cold apple cider.... A perfect afternoon snack to officially welcome Autumn.

LET'S GO SHOPPING

Today I decided to purchase a few new primitive items to add to my Fall decor. However, with today's economy one needs to be mindful of each and every penny spent. So, I decided to give myself a monetary challenge- a spending cap of $12.00, yup you read that correctly. I know what you're thinking, can't purchase much for $12.00. Well, are you ready to come along on my spending excursion/challenge? First stop The Dollar Store. Now, there have been many a time I have found "ZIPPO" at the Dollar Store- most often I just purchase gift bags and tissue paper, but today I found this white ceramic pumpkin....

along with one in a soft shade of teal and one in orange. All three are very nicely made.... and just look at this crow....how could I pass this guy up. You can never have too many crows (in my opinion) especially this time of the year.

Next stop The Christmas Tree Shop.... where I spied this little Jack-o-Lantern. This little primitive pumpkin has eye's that light and a smile so sweet....in my cart he went.

one wooden candlestick with festive tag and ribbon.... a sweetly scented candle.

and then my favorite find of the day.... a pair of witches shoe's. I love these babies...and look at the bells....they are perfect....Oh, I just knew they were waiting for me....the only pair to be found. So lets see how I did....

One crow $1.00

three ceramic pumpkins $3.00

one candle stick $2.99

one candle .50
witches shoes $3.99

Total: $11.48

In my opinion it was not only a successful challenge, but fun....now, if only I could do that well shopping at the grocery store....

INTERVALE FARM

Some of you out in "blog land" have inquired as to where I purchase my pumpkins. The answer to that inquiry is Intervale Farm in New Gloucester, Maine. This farm offers the most amazing selection of pumpkins, squash, and gourds. This morning, as we arrived my husband and I were greeted by this lovely little booted Millefleur bantam.

I asked Jan the owner what her name was and I do believe she looked at me as if I were crazy. I was thinking " what this sweet little gal has no name," well If she were mine, I would give her a name like "Zsa-Zsa." I found her to be quite elegant. Later, as my husband reminded me not everyone who owns chickens feels the need to name them as I do. Getting back to pumpkins.... you will find large ones....

tall ones....

warty ones....

soft grey teal ones....

pumpkin pie filling...

white ghosts...

yellow ones....

Neck pumpkins....

Jack o lantern....

there are so many pumpkins it's hard to choose....

squash...

gourds....

and more gourds....

even my husband had a hard time making a decision....

striped and speckled....

warts and spots.... one advantage to purchasing pumpkins at this farm.... the owners take care to make sure the stems remain intact...a key feature for a true pumpkin carver....

little boos...

Cinderellas.... Of course I needed to end this post by talking about the chickens...just look at the elegant walkway these girls have...a weather proofed ramp...from the barn down into the chicken yard below.

again no name.... I think she looks like a Rosemary, what do ya think?