I have a weird switch in my brain, do you have it too? 🥗/🍲

Published: Sun, 09/19/21

Happy Sunday, Rural Sprout Readers,

I may have discovered the perfect way to extend the growing season. I know we give tips about cold weather crops and using cold frames or row covers to eke out the most from your garden this time of year, but I stumbled across something much more effective.

I wrote last week saying that fall was in the air.

And that was all it took for Mother Nature to say, “Oh really? You think so, do you.” It’s been hot and humid all week, and we even had several impressive thunderstorms. My little town in Pennsylvania lost power for an afternoon.

In the meantime, my garden is happy as a clam; what with all this hot weather and rain showers.

So, for the sake of my tomatoes, maybe I’ll just add a quick line here saying how fall must be on the way. Yup, it sure looks autumnal out there. The leaves are starting to drop, and I’m seeing pumpkins pop up at the local farmer’s markets.

That ought to extend the growing season for at least another two weeks.

But it does genuinely feel as though autumn will be upon us soon. The shadows are growing long, and the afternoon sun has more gold in it. And I was serious about those leaves, too. All of this has me wondering, dear reader, if you have the same switch in your brain that I do.

It happens every year, sometime in September.

I’ll be working along and decide it’s time for lunch. As I start to wonder what I’d like to eat, there comes a soft “click.” It’s the sound of the changing of the seasons for me. That little switch in my brain toggles from salad to soup.

All summer long, I enjoy crisp salads filled with yummy vegetables from my garden. I make a salad with fresh lettuces, dark green spinach leaves and substantial kale. I toss in whatever happens to be ripe – Principe Borghese tomatoes, chopped Dragon Tongue beans, tiny cucamelons, sliced cucumbers or crisp radishes.

But each fall, there comes a specific day when my brain and stomach conspire together and flip the switch.

Suddenly salad just doesn’t cut it. I mean, it’s great as a side, but out of nowhere, I find myself wanting something warm, something hearty, something more substantial than leaves and bits of vegetables.

What I really want is leaves and bits of vegetables in liquid!

And so, it becomes soup season. Because of the incredible mushroom season, we’re having here (Any mushroom hunters among our readers?), I was lucky enough to have fresh black trumpet mushrooms on hand from a foray last weekend. My first soup of the season is going to be hard to top.

I made a nice big pot of black trumpet mushroom and wild rice soup with pork tenderloin.

Oh man, it was good. Lots of finely diced onion, with several large handfuls of gorgeous black trumpets all sautéed and then simmered with homemade chicken stock. I threw in some cubed pork tenderloin leftover from the previous night’s meal, and I was kicking off soup season right.

So, how about you, dear reader?

Do you have a soup/salad switch? Or is it another food or drink switch? When those first few harbingers of fall come calling, what habitual summer patterns do you cast by the wayside? I don’t know about you, but I’ve started looking at the neatly folded sweaters in my closet and saying, “Soon.”

We had a great week at Rural Sprout with some excellent new pieces to share with you. You’re going to want to make a whole pot of coffee or tea to enjoy with all these great new articles.

14 Innovative Ways To Use Sage Leaves

First up, Madison solves a common herb gardening problem for us. What do you do with all that sage? Of course, one of the first things I think of is stuffing, but I’m stumped after that. Madison has come up with 14 great ways to put that sage plant to good use.

Click Here to read

How We Started A Deer-Proof, Drought Resistant Backyard Orchard

Next, Matthew shares the epic tale of what it took for him and his wife to start a backyard orchard. And not just any orchard; they had to overcome the “deer super-highway” that ran right through it and prepare for possible drought. To top it all off, they wanted an orchard that aligns with their plan to age in place on their homestead, which means easy-to-reach fruit. They managed to do it all!

Click Here to read

11 Reasons to Raise Quail Instead of Ducks or Chickens + How to Get Started

Fowl owning homesteaders have always argued the case of chickens vs. ducks, but Cheryl brings another bird to the table – the quiet quail. And in doing so, she may just upend the fowl debate once and for all. I know she certainly changed my plans. I was Team Duck, 100%, but after reading Cheryl’s article, I’ve completely changed my future bird-owning plans.

Click Here to read

Easily Freeze Onions & Save Time – Raw, Roasted or Caramelized

Here it is Sunday, and my house still smells like onions after writing about freezing onions. If your onion harvest gave you a bumper crop, or even if you just want to make your meal prep and weeknight cooking simpler, freezing onions is the way to go. Green onions, white, yellow and red onions; raw, roasted, even caramelized, we’ve got you covered.

Click Here to read

6 Signs Your Houseplants Need To Be Repotted & How To Do It

And finally, Madison weighs in with an all-important part of houseplant care – when to repot. This task often goes overlooked by houseplant owners until it’s too late. Madison will help you figure out when to repot and walk you through the process.

Click Here to read

That's all for this week, Rural Sprout Readers.

Sincerely,

Tracey

Editor

Rural Sprout