What Is Left in the Garden, A Bonfire Birthday

 

We have not had a hard frost yet so there are quite a few things still growing strong. Steve's peppers always outlast everything else. He continues to harvest, brine, and dry hot peppers all through October. His hot sauce has gained popularity over the last three years and he loves to give jars to friends and to those who appreciate hot sauce.

I was surprised to see the lavender start a new set of flowers this late in the season. The potted geraniums also continue to bloom in their south facing sunny spot and the marigolds on the front steps are still vibrant. Lastly, the patchouli plant remains vigorous. I tried drying and distilling it down (as I learned from the internet) into an oil but it smelled too "green" to me so I threw it out. It was a fun experiment even though it failed.  

Both last week and this week graced us with the most beautiful fall weather. On Friday afternoon we lit the bonfire around 4:00pm, thus beginning Tess' thirtieth birthday celebration. We made marinated, grilled chicken skewers, an autumn bisque made with butternut squash and apples, focaccia, caramel apples, roasted pumpkin seeds, and a pumpkin Bundt cake with cream cheese filling and caramel icing. There were hot dogs and marshmallows for roasting over the fire if anyone was still hungry later on. Audrey brought pumpkins for everyone to carve out near the fire. It was the easiest pumpkin carving clean-up we ever had. We just threw the pulp and seeds into the woods for the animals to forage. Claire's family arrived just after dark to join us at the fire. A full moon shone over the fields and everything was drenched in moonlight. We all agreed that sitting outdoors on a chilly autumn night is a joy after the long, hot summer we endured.

We had accumulated ten months worth of wood and brush to burn so the fire was large. Steve stretched hoses out from the house and watered everything down around the perimeter. It is hard work for guys at the start of the fire to keep it all in check while the rest of us look on in awe and just have a good time. Steve is always the last man standing (or sitting) at the end of the night after we have all gone in or sometimes even gone to bed. He stays with the coals until he can douse them and put it safely to bed for the night. 

Everyone will return for Thanksgiving so we talked about making another fire then. It won't be large since we will have to gather a fresh pile of wood but that will make it more manageable and fun for the guys.