Choices

Today I went up to the school and had a talk with the principal and helped him make a choice as to what kind of new aquarium we're going to have. And the winner is...………..

I'm in the mood. . .

.....for fall!!

I was off work yesterday and today, and I went to the farm stand down the road and saw the beautiful flowers in the picture above for sale. The produce on offer is starting to reflect the changing season.

There were early mountain apples....

Muscadine and Scuppernong grapes (the only kind we can grow around here) and sweet potatoes, onions, peppers, and garlic.

I'm roasting the sweet potatoes in the oven along with some small russet potatoes I had left over from last week. The peppers, onion, and garlic pictured here got added to the crockpot....

....where I've been slowly simmering pinto beans all afternoon. You can't see in this picture, but I added meaty ham hocks for flavor, along with Cajun seasoning, a bay leaf, celery, and salt and pepper. We'll be eating the beans over rice with chipotle hot sauce tonight.

This photo is for Cro!

Our favorite hot sauce. Not too hot, so the flavor of the smoked jalapeno peppers comes through.

I made coleslaw to go with the pintos. Here are some extra things I added to the cabbage and carrot mixture.

Here's the finished coleslaw, ready to go in the fridge to rest and absorb the dressing.

When it starts to feel like fall outside, my first impulse is to cook. It's still warm enough that the air conditioner is running, but it's definitely cooler this week. It's also been delightfully cloudy and misty-rainy for the past two days. Here's a picture taken from my computer chair at midday:

The trees outside are just beginning to get a yellowish cast to their still-green leaves, but the cloudy weather looks like autumn to me. It's perfect weather for the book I just started reading....The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. It's my smaller book club's selection for the month of September. We decided to read spooky novels from now to Halloween, and THOHH is first. I've read about half of it, being at home for two days, and I'm really enjoying it!

Are you ready for Autumn? Is it starting to look like Fall where you live? How do you get in the mood for the seasonal changes?

Edited to add: I've been drinking gin and tonics while cooking and reading. Perfect day.

September market foods in South Carolina

This is what's on offer at the farm stand down the road right now.

Muscadine and scuppernong grapes are grown all over the state in backyards and small commercial  vineyards alike. You can often find the vines growing wild in abandoned lots or along old fences. They're easy to cultivate and make delicious jellies and wine.

http://gardenandgun.com/article/scuppernongs

http://doctorschar.com/features/muscadine-grapes-vitis-rotundifolia/

Apples are just starting to arrive in the markets. They are grown in the mountains of North Carolina.

I bought about 8 pounds of apples of mixed varieties. I'm planning to slow cook them in the crockpot with brown sugar, butter, and spices to make a kind of chunky apple butter/apple sauce.

There are still plenty of summer squash, zucchini, and fresh green beans left for sale. New sweet potatoes have arrived, and small mild Vidalia onions are pretty much a year-round staple. I also picked up a 2 lb bag of stone ground, locally produced grits.

For tonight's dinner, we had grilled Atlantic salmon. This picture doesn't look all that great, because the fish fell apart when I moved it to a serving plate. But trust me, it was delicious! I grilled the filets wrapped in parchment paper with butter, lemon slices, sea salt, freshly ground pepper, parsley, and a hint of Cajun seasonings. Served with wild rice, it was wonderful.

I steamed the green beans and then sautéed them with bacon. Because bacon just makes everything better.