Lunch

My favorite meal is anything fresh from the farm. Today for lunch I sauteed some red onion, sweet red peppers and zucchini in olive oil. Once soft, I added some cooked rice. So glad I got those zucchini inside before the frost last weekend.

Zucchini

Friday night we had a hard frost in Rhode Island. So, whether they were ready or not, I had to pick all the produce except the cold loving beets and arugula.

The zucchini were small, but I had to get them in so I picked all of them. I would have liked to let them grow bigger for another week or two but I am enjoying these baby zucchini with rice and in omlettes.

Frost

We got a hard, killing frost all over Rhode Island Friday night. I took this first picture Friday morning, knowing that the mimi zinnias would be gone by Saturday morning. Some veggies, like beets, do well in the cold. But most like peppers, eggplant and tomatoes are done for the season.

Cosmos

The forecast is calling for a killing frost tonight. So, I'm enjoying one last day of flowers before the cold temperatures finish them for the season. I'm also harvesting as many veggies as possible since they will probably be gone by tomorrow morning as well.

Daisies

I don't remember planting daisies in any of our patio containers, but this week they started to bloom, so they must have come from somewhere. The flowers will be short lived as we are expecting a frost Friday night.

Hydrangea

In August, I posted pictures of the Limelight Hydrangea when it was in full bloom. In the fall, these blooms start to turn pink which can be even more striking.

Burning Bush

In 2010 I posted about burning bush. If you look at that picture, you can see the burning bush is not as vibrant this year. However, that photo was taken at the end of October so my hope is that the red color will intesnsify as it gets cooler later in October.

Sedum

Check out how the sedum has turned from pale pink to burgandy in a few weeks.

Dill

There was no frost warning for Rhode Island last night, but I was still concerned. When it gets down into the low 40s in Providence, I can get a frost in Hope Valley. This morning the temps stayed in the mid 30s so we missed a frost. But, we're expecting more of the same this week, so we will be on the lookout for frost.

While out this morning seeing if there were any signs of frost, the dill caught my eye. I really like the way the morning dew looks on the leaves.

Peppers

New England is not an ideal climate for growing peppers. They like long summers that are hot and dry. That is why they thrive in places like Mexico, and the southwest United States. But, we grow them here in Rhode Island because I love the challenge and people enjoy them at the market.

We grow a lot of red peppers at One Love Farm. For them, the growing season is even longer than green peppers. That is because you have to be patient and wait for them to turn red. And now is that time. We have had a few over the past few weeks, but now it seems they are turning at a quicker pace.

That is a good thing because the first frost at One Love Farm is likely fast approaching. The earliest we have had a first frost is October 6th, which would be tomorrow. But, usually the first frost happens between the 10th and 12th. That means it is a race against the inevitable frost clock to get as many red peppers picked as possible.

Dill

We've been growing dill for several years at One Love Farm. Here is a post from 2009 when we planted dill in an herb garden near our patio. I also posted in June about this years crop. That crop from June went to seed in August and we pulled it out and planted some lettuce in its place. Some seeds dropped in the beds and now we have a nice fall crop of fresh dill.

Dill is nice to use fresh in salads. But I also like to make a quick refrigerator pickle. Slice up some carrots, sweet peppers, cucumbers and a clove of garlic. Cover in white vinegar and add some dill. Put in the fridge overnight. These pickled veggies are great as a side dish or on a salad.

Zucchini

Zucchini is normally harvested in late June and July. This year, however, when the zucchini was done in August, I planted some more seeds for a fall crop

As most folks who plant zucchini in New England know, there is one pest that is always on these plants. The Squash Beetle overruns the zucchini plant, eventually killing it. I have given up trying to control these pests because organic methods have proved worthless. They laugh at insecticidal soap and plucking them off one by one is not feasible. So, I take the position that I will have zucchini for a few weeks, then the plants will succumb to the squash beetles and the crop will be done for the year.

That is until I realized that the squash beetle has a defined life cycle. They hatch in July, devour the plant and are gone by early August. The seeds I planted in mid August are ready to bear fruit and are squash beetle-free! Now I need to pick them as quickly as possible until the frost comes, which usually hits One Love Farm between October 6th and October 12th.

Arugula

Arugula is one of my favorite greens. While we grow it successfully in the spring, it is even better in the fall. That's because the increasingly cool nights give the green that distinctive peppery bite that makes it so delicious. As you can see from this picture, this new batch of arugula is doing well with less insect damage than the crop I planted nearby. We will continue to harvest arugula well into October as it can tolerate several degrees of frost. In fact, I have harvested it some years until Christmas and even under patches of snow!

Strawberries

Strawberry season has been over for several weeks. But, I still need to maintain the planting bed. Strawberrys like to be weed free, so we monitor the area and pull any unwantededs out.

Strawberries send out runners in late summer and fall. These runners root in the soil and become new plants that will bear strawberries next year. I'm posting this picture to show the agressiveness of the runners. They are spilliing out of the bed's border, trying to find a spot to take root wherever possible.