Autumn Ingathering

We have been enjoying beautiful fall weather - perfect for putting the garden to bed and preparing for winter hibernation.  Today I picked and received a bounty of goodness - peppers and tomatoes from our small garden, pears from my tenacious garden growing neighbor Patrice and apples and plums from Maid Elizabeth (her new property has beautiful fruit trees).  We'll dehydrate our peppers, can the pears and eat the tomatoes and plums fresh.  What bounty!  The few apples Maid Elizabeth brought over today we'll eat fresh (they're sooo good!), however, this weekend we plan on taking our cider press to her house and pressing apple cider - such a perfect fall enterprise!

Peppers and tomatoes out of our garden

Pears and apples and plums, oh my!

Notice the fire bricks stacked on the end of the cook stove - we'll be putting them in the stove soon!

I still have ripening tomatoes.  I can only hope the weather cooperates long enough for them to ripen on the vine.  If so, we'll have enough to can and enjoy them this winter.  Our Hugelkulture beds have surpassed our expectations and we can't wait to plant a huge garden next spring, and hopefully reap a harvest that dwarfs this years offerings.

Almost ready

I hope you're enjoying this sweet season of ingathering.  May your storerooms be full to overflowing!

A Little Bit of Fall

I can't believe it's October!  Why?  Because our days are warm and sunny and there isn't a hint of that nippy autumn air that I so love.  With such warm days I haven't felt compelled to do much baking but yesterday the girls and I wanted a little something to accompany our afternoon tea.  The pumpkin scone recipe I recently came across looked like it was just the thing, however, it only used 1/2 cup of pumpkin so I scoured my other recipes to see what I could bake with the rest of the pumpkin in the jar.  Oh, did I come up with something wonderful!  Texas pecan cake.  Umm.


If you are hankering for a taste of fall, these recipes will fill the bill.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Scones
2 1/2 C flour
6 T sugar
1 T baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/2 C butter, cold, cut into chunks
1/2 C pumpkin puree (or other winter squash)
3 T heavy cream (or milk)
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Thick Glaze
1 C powdered sugar
2 T milk

Pumpkin Spiced Glaze
1 C powdered sugar
2 T milk
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
pinch cloves
pinch ginger

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

For the Scones:  In a medium bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.  Cut in butter (with a pastry cutter).  Add the pumpkin, cream, egg and vanilla.  Stir just until a soft dough forms.  Knead 4 or 5 times or until the dough comes together well.

Pat the dough until it is about 1 inch thick.  (I pat it in a circle).  Cut wedges in the size of your preference.

Place scones on a baking sheet and bake for 14 to 18 minutes or until done.  Allow to cool on a wire rack.

For the Glaze:  Stir the ingredients for the Thick Glaze together until smooth.  Spread over cooled scones and allow to set for about 10 minutes.  Stir together the ingredients for the spiced glaze and drizzle over cooled and frosted scones. 

Texas Pecan Cake
1 C butter, softened
2 C sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 C butternut squash, pureed (I used pumpkin)
3 tsp. vanilla extract
3 C flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 grated coconut
1/2 pecans, chopped

Glaze
1/4 C butter
1/2 C pecans, chopped
1 C brown sugar
1/4 C cream, plus a glug (about 1 T)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a Bundt pan.

For the Cake:  Cream together the butter and sugar.  Add the eggs beating well after each addition.  Add the squash (or pumpkin) and mix well.  Stir in the vanilla.  Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and mix well.  Fold in the coconut and pecans.  Spoon into the prepared pan and bake for 50 or 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes then turn out onto a cake platter.

For the Glaze:  Melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the pecans and stir for 1 minute.  Add the brown sugar and cream and bring to a boil.  After glaze comes to a roiling boil stir constantly for 2 minutes.  Take off heat.  Allow to cool then drizzle glaze over cooled cake.

NOTE:  I like this cake best without the glaze!  Just slice in small pieces and butter - out of this world!