First of Fall

I'm a farmer, so undoubtedly, I spend a lot of time on the farm. With the hubs gone, it has been all up to me to manage. For health reasons, I hadn't been too involved in the farming for a couple of years, but it didn't take long for me to get into the groove of it again. I actually like it. That is... I like it when I am in charge! The first of Fall is always a signal for the end of harvest. It is the best time of the year for a farmer. Much needed rest and relaxation is finally in sight!

The last order of peaches were picked up and I took advantage of having the orchard all to myself. I armed myself with a camera, put a basket on the 4 wheeler, and headed off to the orchard first thing in the morning... 8:30 a.m.  I live underneath the looming peaks of the Wasatch Mountains, which is located just east of our home and orchard, and the sun doesn't make its way over the top until then. The air was crisp, cool. You could smell the change in the air. Just like Fall weather should be like. I was loving it! It was the first time I wore a jacket. Given how hot it was this year, I was pleasantly surprised that the change in season, the first of Fall, signaled an immediate change in temperature and weather conditions. It was like welcoming an old friend.

As I drove up and down the rows, I took my time... because... I love the stillness and quiet of the mornings. Especially in the orchard. Most of the birds are well on their way to warmer places. No sound of chatter. The honey bees are bedded down in their hives. No buzzing sounds. I saw a squirrel now and again, scurry across the ground, snatch a nut or piece of fruit off the ground, and scourer up a tree. The leaves are changing colors. Brown, red, orange, yellow. So awe inspiring! It was like I was enveloped in a Nature Sermon, soaking up every detail the farm had to show and tell me. I can't even imagine who would ever NOT believe that the world, is indeed, a classroom! 

A farm girl's best friend... 4 wheeler

An empty bird nest

First of leaves changing colors

I didn't have to pick for someone else today. I picked for myself. Peaches, plums, pears, apples, Asian pears. I took them in the house and conveniently arranged the fresh picked fruit, in some wooden bowls, and placed them on the kitchen table. It will be easy to snatch a piece every time I feel a fruit attack coming on. And, the kiddos will love it when they come to visit grandma.

What was your first of Fall like?

Writing prompt #1: The first day of Fall was Sept. 22nd, share something fall related you did!

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Raspberry Milkshake

It all started in Grandma Ida's raspberry patch. She had the best raspberry patch in town.  It was my very first memory of raspberries.  As a very young child, I would follow my older brother and sister into the raspberry patch, diving in and picking the biggest, juiciest, deep red berries that I could find. In my attempt to eat as many berries as I could, red stain marked my small hands and face. I plowed my way among the jungle of green leaves and red berries oblivious to anything around me. It was easy to get lost among the tall plants that seemed to tower several feet above my head. I must have stayed until momma came looking for her little lost girl. My first experience of home grown raspberries has always stuck with me with much pleasantness.

I can remember having a garden from the earliest of memories. I often dreamed of marrying a fruit farmer.  And I did!  The first thing we planted was a raspberry patch. We dug up shoots from the father-in-law's Canby raspberry plants, and soon our patch was not only thriving, but growing and multiplying like rabbits!  With each new spring, a new crop of shoots were dug up and transplanted to another location to prevent overgrowth in the row. Our patch was located in between a cement wall on the east side of the garden and the tractor shed on the west. When we irrigated, the water settled happily in the ever expanding raspberry patch.  With the right amount of morning sun and afternoon shade, the raspberry patch soon showed herself off as the best raspberry patch in the neighborhood.  I'd pick the raspberries first thing in the morning... the biggest, plumpest, juiciest, dark red berries I could find.  Just like in grandma Ida's patch! 

There's so many things you can do with raspberries... eat them fresh, eat them in cereal, in yogurt, preserve them, make desserts and salads.  But one of my very favorite thing's to make with fresh raspberries is a milk shake. So razzle and dazzle your taste buds with this ridiculously delicious raspberry milkshake!

Fresh Raspberry Milk Shake

1 cup milk (I use 1%)
2 cups vanilla ice cream
1 cup fresh (or frozen) raspberries 
put in a blender and mix until smooth.  Delicious!

Servings: two -12 oz. servings, Calories: 325 per serving