The frost burned the cannas.  So they are ready to dig up.

Canna lilies are tall flowering plants.  Ours happen to be red.  I got them from my mother-in-law.  Some of them grow taller than I am.  They can be quite a showy plant.

The bulbs must be brought inside each fall.  There are some that survive the winter, but It is most reliable for their well-being to bring the roots indoors for the winter.  I dig them out, chop off the stem of the plant and discard it.  The roots get carried to the south side of the house.  If the weather permits they will lie out there in the sun for a few days to dry.  If  not dried, they can mold and that will harm the roots.

I keep the roots stored all winter.  Some bulbs will shrivel up in the safety of the cellar.  In the spring, I toss out the ones that have shriveled up or look unhealthy.  I plant the best of the rest.  If I am particularly lucky, I will have enough bulbs to give to a friend.

Yes, the Cannas are in.  That is one more job finished as we look forward to the coming of winter.

Sunshine is great.  The sun dries my laundry on the clothesline.  It nourishes the garden and crops.  It dries our hay so that we can preserve it for the winter months.  Today I used the sun again.

I dug up the beets and carrots in my garden.

I topped the carrots.  I slice off about 1/4 inch of the top end of the carrot with the leaves.  If I don’t do that, during the storage season in the cellar, the carrots tend to sprout new leaves even though they are not in the soil.

The beets are cared for differently.  When I cut off the leaves I leave 1-inch of stem on them.   Without that inch of stem left on the root, the rich, redness of the beet will bleed out color as I cook them.  They are to be cooked with that bit of stem, the root, and with their skins still on them.

All of the greens went to feed the chickens.  Lucky ducks!

With the beet and carrot preparation finished, I washed them all off in a pail of water.  I put them on the grass in my lawn and let them bask in the sun to dry.  Hurray for the sun’s rays and the wind!

When the carrots and beets are thoroughly dry, I put the beets in a crock in the cellar until I have the time to cook and freeze them.  Carrots, on the other hand, will be packaged in plastic storage bags.  I poke holes in the plastic bags to let air get into the bag.  That seems to help the carrots keep longer for me.

I am glad the sun was out to help me finish that little job today.

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A long time ago, my husband and his dad found an apple tree in the ditch by the farm.  When they were transplanting some large trees at my father-in-law’s home, they decided to uproot and transplant this tree, which had probably grown from an apple core that some passenger threw out of the car window.  They planted it on the farm.

That tree produces fruit in August.  We have 2 other trees of different varieties which ripen in September and October.

When the trees bear, we pick and use the fruit.  Much of it is thrown to the chickens or the heifers.  We cannot consume all of the apples.

I have canned apple sauce and apple pie-filling.  I have frozen many packages of apple slices.

Fortunately, we found an antique apple cider press at our neighbor’s.  He was interested in selling and we decided to buy it.  It has made many quarts of delicious apple juice for us.  I can the juice and we use it for cooking and for drinking.

With the many ways the Lord provides for us,  I don’t want the food to go to waste.  So I work to preserve it for my family.  Thank You, Lord, for the apples!

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The sun is shining brightly in the blue, autumn sky.  Our Ash tree, the bold yellow centerpiece on the farm, vibrates its beauty over  the crisp, autumn landscape.

Fall projects press on.

The road crew, just beyond the driveway outside, rumbles as it works to pave our road.  We are nearly land-locked until the cement hardens.

The garden is nearly clean.  Just this afternoon, I picked the last tomatoes off the plants.  Some went to the chickens, but most went into the cellar for ripening.

Predictions say that we will have a cold weekend.  The typical season changes are underway.  Soon the leaves will rest on the forest floor and the cold of winter will overtake the farm again.

Yet, in spite of the oncoming harsh weather, I found one last summer treat waiting for me and my husband to share.  The young, yellow raspberry plants we planted this spring are bearing fruit!  They are golden and melt in our mouths with the sweetness of honey.  Wow!  What a treat.
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