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Yes, My Friends, There Are Red Pumpkins!

food

Around the Sage Hill House, October and November means lots of pumpkins, big fat orange ones, red ones, dainty, and not so dainty, white ones, fat, skinny, perfect and totally warped ones. I never ever have enough pumpkins to satisfy my never-ending use for them. Of course the pumpkin isn’t the only autumn fruit/vegetable that is worthy of attention in the colorful scheme of this most loved part of the year.
Gourds, corn stalks, and the different array of apples, from green to yellow to red and a combination of all the previous mentioned colors, it really is the most colorful season.

We enjoy using the colorful selection as an inviting grouping on the front porch, a lovely selection of pumpkins on the farm table in the dining room is very fitting.
A few scattered around the gardens provide a little touch of color to a somewhat fading look by this time of year.

And…of course we must not forget the Jack-O-Lantern.

What would October be without that special face sitting by the door greeting everyone who passes by or comes to call.

One of my very favorite uses for the pumpkin is in the kitchen of course.

For the family meal at Thanksgiving I use a medium size “Sugar Pumpkin”…(best for cooking)as a serving bowl for our favorite stew.

The options are many, just use your imagination for the stew.

Cut the top from a medium size Sugar Pumpkin, scoop out at least half of the pulp/without leaving the shell too thin. Set aside to use in the stew.

In a large deep pan place the pumpkin in boiling water, about 1/3 of the way up on the pumpkin.
Place in a very hot oven and cook until all the water is gone or until the pumpkin is just starting to get soft.(don’t overcook)

Remove from oven, let sit for a few minutes to cool slightly.

Sprinkle the inside with salt and pepper or your favorite spices.

Saute’ the firm parts of the pumpkin pulp, season according to your other ingredients. Stir all together and add to the pumpkin shell. Put it back in the oven and cook about 20 minutes, just enough to blend the flavors.fabe96af24df443a58a7d0d4c1446dc8Red Pumpkins

Makes a lovely centerpiece for the table and delicious too!

Enjoy this season, however you celebrate it…it is so special.

Red’s of Autumn~

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Style has as many definition’s as Carter’s has liver pills…if you are over 50 you’ll understand that…or if you live in Lincoln County, TN., where Carters, a Vintage drugstore of which I am sure has liver pills!! But, I am digressing here.
Do you have a garden…does it have seasonal shrubs, trees, plants that lend said color to the landscape…if not, this is the time to correct that.
A few shrubs , trees, plants, can be worked into any landscape, regardless of size to address the different seasons.

A chair, large garden pots/art sculptures etc., can fill the void with color and texture.

Enjoy autumn, it will fade into winter in the blink of an eye.

PS: For the sake of personal “bliss” don’t forget the style that is “you!”

Stylish Gardening~

Been awhile since I wrote in this blog…after getting through this weekend…9/11/anniversary, and with full awareness of where our country is and how desperately she needs our full support…My job is to stand tall, speak the truth, take responsibility, and educate on as many levels as I can…..I refuse to allow the work of evil to depress my spirit and slow my journey….I Refuse!!
Laugh,( share the smile,) lend a hand,(with purpose) have compassion,(use it wisely) Kick political correctness to the curb,(if you haven’t already) Rise above whatever haunts us from the past….keep the lesson, (set the act free.)

***We are the answer to any problem we have***.

Stand up, be counted!

God Bless America~

Meet me in the gardens…..Stylish Gardening~

 

Eating In Style-with Intention~

Salad Is Really More Than “salad.”

I know you’ve seen this and probably do it…so have I from time to time.

One pours dressing on the salad and with fork in hand…follows a ritual of mixing and tossing until all ingredients are fully indulged.

Do you know…salad should set the temperature for the main course with your taste buds. It should be layered from the bottom up..

Using my lunch salad as an example here goes….

( this I learned from a world famous chef in the French Quarter, New Orleans , many years ago.

My greens were…red cabbage, kale, parsley and romaine.

Next layer( scatter…not evenly placed)

Cucumber…

Next layer (boiled eggs)

Next layer (green onion)

Next layer( tiny bits of goat cheese with raspberry coating)

A small amount of chopped turkey in the center.

Drizzled with a blend of raspberry orange olive oil and Balsamic Vinegar.

***Do Not Toss***…eat from different areas of the plate with each bite…you will get a different taste with every bite…this wakes up your taste buds to many different flavors and makes the main course much more flavorful.

Food can be a most blissful part of the day when given the attention it and we deserve.

Oh…consider this…serve chips of a gourmet kind instead of crackers…

I chose Chili-Lime, made for a lunch with “passion!”

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Bliss…with Food and Thought~

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Life is a mixture of good, bad, happy, sad, joy, sorry…..these are a given, we do not choose or redesign them across the board…and yes, I know all the ways we can manipulate our life to paint a better picture…

Bliss…ahhh, this is totally a choice, a tiny little switch that flips on and off at will…..no matter…how down, how lonely, how stressed…make blissful moments in your day and smile…if only inside…( do you know just thinking a smile boost the immune system greatly…laughing out loud sends it over the top!

Eating is a requirement. ( one I have no issues with) Bring the two together for your ‘Blissful’ moments…..Make it healthy in a common sense way, make it pretty, make it a gracious time.

In Gratitude….for gorgeous food and “You!”

 

From Seed To Kitchen~

The number of women who were named as the principal operator of an American farm or ranch increased by nearly 30 percent between 2002 and 2007, according to the U.S. Census of Agriculture. Women composed about 14 percent of principal farm operators in 2007, and that percentage has held steady since then, according to the preliminary 2012 census released in February.

Women over 65 own nearly a third of Iowa’s farmland.

Census data from 2007 showed that women were more likely than men to operate farms with a diversity of crops, and to own a greater percentage of the land they farmed. Women farmers also tended to sell food directly to the consumer rather than to large food-processing corporations—an approach that the United Nations report has found to be important for improving food systems.

Leigh Adcock, executive director of the Women, Food and Agriculture Network, said she believes the U.S. food system will be healthier when more women farm.

In my research I was somewhat surprised to learn many women don’t own the land they farm….instead they lease long term…much of the reason is: women in many  cases do not have credit options  and are considered poor risk when dealing with banks and other financial institutions.

However, this does not seem to have been a major drawback in the success of the case studies in my findings.

I grew up on a farm, it wasn’t new to me when I made the decision 15 years ago to spearhead this farm project. The methods I chose to embrace were new to me, the learning curve was tricky for a short while…..the pay-off is and has been more than I ever imagined in many ways.

We are not yesterdays farmers or yesterdays farmers wives~

Think you know what a farmer looks like ?
Think you know what a farmer looks like ?

Happiness and the Heart~

We are well into the new year.  As always…I am focused on sharing ‘happy’ thoughts and ideas for your reading pleasure.

Most everyone has a different idea as to what constitutes happiness…how to find it, make it, or buy it….for me, I have discovered…and research has proven in many ways, happiness is not just a surface thing….Emotional vitality: a sense of enthusiasm, hopefulness, and engagement.

Optimism: the perspective that good things will happen.

A supportive network of friends and family.

Expressing gratitude on a regular basis and doing things ( or one thing) every day you find enjoyable and relaxing…exercise and regular sleep also…these actions will make a healthy spirit…when the spirit is happy, the heart and body follows.

Please join me in a ‘ Happy’ year ahead~

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Timeless/Gardens/Style….need for bliss….

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A desire for that which brings comfort, joy, and pleasure, to our heart, mind, and surroundings…to me, is Bliss…it can be as elaborate as the Queens digs are as simple as a cup of tea and a boiled egg…with a few special elements added here and there…some thought tweaking, your favorite music or the quietness of a favorite book.

I am big on bliss from with-in…once we find that…the outer elements will find us.

Need help, need tea, need jewels, need a friend to help you clear the cob-webs….This is your lucky day…I’m available, affordable, and know the way to “Bliss.”  NO…I’m not a hooker…LOL…part of finding bliss is being able to laugh in the face of all that which works to bring us down.

www.sagehillgardens.com

https://www.facebook.com/sagehill.farm/

https://www.facebook.com/thevintageweb/

 

Unveiling…2016…A Garden’s Style~

0100110120130140150171280px-Willibaldsburg_über_Eichstätt  Researching and tapping into the earliest of documentation around any subject of my interest is one of my favorite activities’.

With gardening being a priority any early info is like finding Treasure Island with a foot-bridge.

More than a decade past, a lovely friend gifted a book to me… I have cherished and consider it to be among my top prized books of all time.

“The Garden at Eichstatt.”

The Willibaldsburg Castle and it’s Garden~

The Willibaldsburg is a spur castle, built between the years 1073 and 1353, in Eichstätt in Upper Bavaria. Until the middle of the 18th century it was the representative castle and seat of Eichstätt’s prince-bishops.

Extended and fortified many times during a period of 200 years, it still stands and still holds the ownership to the very first formally designed garden in the world. The garden was close to being an obsession and therefore was given the grandest of attention. ( for many years with only one set of hands.)

Reading the complete history quickly becomes clear that one must read it to grasp the scope of the intention and different levels of change the entire project went through before becoming a finished work of art.

These are a few of the photo’s in the book…hundreds of the most intricate hand drawings ever …the books speaks to the search and final choice of the artist…for the times in question…it is nothing less than amazing!

Thank you Sarah E. Othman…a gift that keeps on giving ~ Pleasure and knowledge.

The two bottom photo’s…1611…and 1998.