Applesauce and the First Day of Autumn

This week I made a special farm run to Ray's (our bi-weekly raw milk and egg pick up place) to get 5 bushels of beautiful red courtland apples.  :)  So today, on the first day of autumn, my friend Rhonda and I made the first batch of the season. 

We made it through 3 bushels of apples and canned all but a tiny bit!  YUMMY!!

A wonderful way to celebrate the beginning of autumn, don't you think? 

Harvest begins...

Erik tackled our overgrown squash patch last night in preparation for our upcoming move. Most of the squashes and gourds were full size and beyond already! I am thankful to have the harvest done - who knows what kind of 20 pound monster squash we might have had hiding beneath the leaves if we waited any longer!!

And...canning! :) A few weeks ago we did a round to tomatoes in prep for winter soups. Last week Jane picked up a bushel of delicious peaches from a nearby farm and we went to town putting them up.

peach and lavender spread

Erik's one-of-a-kind peach salsa :)

whole peaches

...and, grilled peaches with dinner one night - yum, yum!

don't worry...we are taking moments here and there to relax. :)