Yikes. You guys are getting the brunt of the storm system that's creeping it's way down here. I was thinking I should call my stepson to see how things were there (he's in Missoula). Montana gets some wicked weather swings. I think the last 2 years I lived in Great Falls, it was sub-zero Halloween night. I got to eat lots of candy those years...

I had to wonder what was in store for MT after those 49 mph winds here this week. The fact that it didn't slow down much overnight as the skies cleared put an end to everything I'd protected (pretty well ;o) from frost up until that moment.

After another freezing night, it hailed yesterday afternoon. Today, we'll see how the greens (including lettuce) in our protected little veggie garden fared. I'm optimistic!

Cold Spring and warm Fall - I notice you didn't qualify Summer. I'd say it was about average but can't say we had a warm Fall. However, the killing frosts certainly held off long enuf. I always make plans for frost on October 7th but seldom (seldom!) is it that late. (The last 2 years have made me happy. :o)

Leeks and celery roots to harvest . . .

digitSteve

Since I'm supposed to be outside all day Saturday with a youth sporting event, I'll bet we get hammered.

Another montana lurker here- I AM in great Falls and it's cold!!! I gathered everything Wednesday night- I atually wish it WOULD snow here right now- at least I wouldn't be reminded of all the leanup I have not done

Well, most of the snow went east of us to Phillipsburg and Butte. But cold howling wind for the last couple days. Got the potatoes dug and the garlic planted but had to dig out the long johns! Need to move a bunch of perennials and several rose bushes so hoping that the winds die down this week so can get it done before the ground freezes! Plums in the dehydrator now. Will make a batch of plum jam tomorrow and then I can cross plums off the list and move on to apples. Great Falls is generally a lot colder and windier than we are but not sure if that holds true this week.

Heavy frost last night. This year, I whacked off all the chard last week and didn't risk it. Blanched and frozen. I still have the beets and carrots in the ground, and there they will stay for another few weeks, until I get the time to deal with them.

I'm busy apple-ing - running one of those peeler / corer / slicer things until my hand hurt, all that frozen for pies, and now onto the big apple butter program.

The last time I did this, we ran a crock pot for two weeks, just adding apples as it cooked down. This year, using my vast scientific training and inherent know how, I am going to try something new. I'll make applesauce, then dry half of it in the dehydrator, and then re-hydrate it in the crockpot along with some more applesauce.

Oddly enough, my garden is still going. I yanked the four Amish Paste off the plant and took them inside, even though they're still green. I have five tomato plants in my plant room. The others are still out on the back porch, but I plan to cover them with row cover tonight. My zucchini is still alive and producing, but I doubt if the zukes will grow since I think the bees have gone off to hibernate. My potato plants are still green, and my sweet peas are still flowering. Most of the trees are still green.

But tonight it goes down to 33. That will probably be it for the garden.

Hee hee! Everything is covered in snow...just about two inches or just under...but I love it!!

The tiniest chihuahua does not seem to like it, but he'll get used to it.

I am waiting on one giant strawberry to ripen. It is the biggest one of all this year as the others seemed to be slightly deformed. I rushed out this morning to brush off the snow from it. I wonder if it will finish ripening or if I'll have to bring it inside.

Something about this weather gets us knitting. Today, we are at the craft table knitting and we just started to crochet--neither of us knows how. Well, now we know!

I hope everyone's gardens fare well!

J

I have an afghan half finished. This sounds like a good time to work on it and have a thick, soft (warm!) mass of yarn on my lap. It's crocheted, as I don't know how to knit.

My carrots and parsnips are still in the ground and if the wind ever stops blowing we will cover them with straw and leaves but the way the wind has blown for the past 3 days it would all be in the next county.

David, I make my pear and apple butter in the oven. In my largest blue roaster pan without the lid on. I make a lot at one time on a cold day. It takes about 3-4 hours at 350 degrees depending on how thick the sauce is. It doesn't scorch and you stir it once an hour and cook until it mounds up on a big spoon. I sometimes can the applesauce in September or freeze it until I can get around to making butter later in the winter. I usually make about 14 pints of butter at a time.

Boy am I thankful that I took the time to harvest everything I possibly could this weekend! Saturday night we had a low of 32, and what survived that, surely would have died last night. Our current temperature is 22 degrees!!!

Sigh ... I guess winter's comin' whether I like it or not.

Bonnie

22º on the front porch, and 15º at the airport. I left my huge tubs of geraniums out. Ut-oh.

MargaretMontana, I'm a relative novice at apple butter. The first time I made it, I used golden delicious, which were really juicy, and took forever to cook down and thicken up in the crockpot. I didn't add any sugar, just kept adding more apples as I went along, probably let a bushel cook down into 10 pints. I added some cinnamon at the end. It was pretty good stuff.

This time, I've got Roma apples, and the apple sauce they make is so thick a spoon will stand up in it. Any ideas?

David I usually use cooking apples and this is my rule - 2 cups applesauce, 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp cloves ( I don't like strong cloves) and a pinch of ginger and multiply that as I need it. If your applesauce is thick then you can thin with apple juice or cider. Some people use vinegar but I don't like that recipe. I usually use Anoka apples as I have so many and they don't keep but MacIntosh, wealthy also make a good apple butter.

Thanks margaretmontana. Yesterday, I popped the apple fruit leather into the crock pot and filled it with apple sauce - it took about 7 hours for the fruit leather to dissolve - yikes! I added the sugar and spices, and I'll can it this morning. My electricity expenditure is considerable, what with the dryer running 24 hours, and then the crock pot for another 7 hours.

I think I'll try your method of baking it all in the oven. We sometimes do a tomato jam with much the same recipe as yours, except add a fair amount of grated ginger.

My son is at that age where he is beginning to enjoy cooking - as well as eating like a horse - and has discovered that he can make a "tart" by whipping up a pie crust recipe in the food processor, pressing the damp crumbs into a flat pyrex dish, and spreading a pint of apple butter or plum jam or peach jam or what ever on it, then baking it. So we're going through an awful lot of jams.

And I give you Margaret's "Last Tomatoes at the Farmers Market:"

This seemed to be the appropriate thread to post photo's of Margaret's tomatoes and things.

I hope these images turn out well . . . they came over Lookout Pass and then were shot into cyberspace to an obscure Photobucket album each time passing thru a cheap 'puter directed by fumbling digitS' - before coming here for you to enjoy.

(What's in the jars, Margaret?)

Thanks. One day I will try photobucket. (When I have nothing better to do!) Huckleberry jam, Apple butter, Pear butter, Strawberry jam, Strawberry Rhubarb jam, Plum jam, Apple Pie Jam, Crab Apple jelly, Elderberry jam, Black Currant jam, Peach jam, Cherry jam,Nanking Cherry jelly and Jalapeno jelly. Last year I baked 3 pies a week but didn't do that but once this year. Less energy to get things done. I sell a lot of cherry tomatoes,tomatoes, peppers, beets, squash, cabbage, some eggs, strawberries, plums, pears and apples and this year corn.