Over the past few days we have been going through the garden, harvesting what we can and checking on the late bloomers, hoping to find that they are able to somehow ripen on time before the first frost.
I started in the bean patch, because I had heard that the chilly nights would slow down the ripening process. But maybe our beans didn’t get the message, or maybe they are like me: They get started and just can’t stop. At any rate, they are still producing like crazy, so we still have fresh green beans in late September.
Well, not the vine-y things just above the pot–that’s catnip.
Tony uses it to make a sleepy-time “Cat Nap” pill.
Catnip/catmint tea is a wonderful calming drink mixed with a little mint.
I did have to fight off a few competitors for the beans (well, I actually shared them–after all, I don’t need every one), and that brings me to my first surprise: Look who I found on a bean leaf:
I was surprised because I have this theory that everything in nature is somehow “clued in,” while we humans rely on the way things happened in the past, or the way we believe they should happen. With so many signs of an early fall/early winter coming, I would expect the insects to be prepared for hibernation, not still developing. But this guy has at least one more molt to go before he is mature, Tony says, so there must be some time left for productivity this fall. (We’ll see.)
With the night temperatures in the 30’s, I figured it would be best to harvest the rest of the jalapeno peppers and bell peppers. They can be pretty sensitive to the cold. And that is where I found a small damsel in distress:
Because they are cold-blooded, insects can become stranded in the fall. I hoped that was the case with this little one. We shielded her from the wind and blew on her a little to warm her up, and she was just fine. In fact, she flew over to my hand and said a proper “thank you.” Her little feet felt so light, almost couldn’t feel them at all. What a treasure to hold a butterfly in my hand! It doesn’t happen very often.
We all fluttered around the butterfly, taking pictures, and enjoying her, and then she took off for parts unknown. Little adventurer!
Then I stumbled on a wonderful find: The squash vine I believed had let me down came through! I found a fully-developed fruit when I was moving through an “herbal” area of the garden.
And last, but not least, we found an adorable little tree frog, nestled among the grape leaves. Full disclosure–he was’t at our place, but since we found him today, I figured he counts. Though we waited expectantly, he was not inclined to sing.
Tony didn’t sing, either, but his preview for “The Princess and the Goblin” audio book is up, if you want to take a listen. So fun! If you are interested in purchasing this novel-length audio book (5 cd’s), please let us know at info@thefullersfour.com. He is asking $25 for the set. He will be selling them at the Reading Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) this fall until the end of October.
(We would much rather arrange in-person sales if you are located in Hillsdale County, but if you want to buy online we can do that as well. Send us an email, and we will send you link so you can buy it that way.)
The Fullers Four 