Happy Halloween!

Its a spooky time of year, with the days getting shorter, crazy kids dressed as wedges of cheese, and these scary pumpkins greeting the neighbors!

Pumpkins

The weather in Oregon has been beautiful, with blue skies and sunshine all this week. But a week before this it was miserably cold and rainy, giving us a taste of the coming fall season.

But in autumnal Oregon you can't let the rain get you down or stop you from having fun. So a little while back we put on some warm clothes and boots and headed out to the pumpkin patch with the Koulibali family. The theme of the day was supposed to be pumpkins, but it was really more about mud. A muddy maize maze, a muddy parking lot, muddy pumpkins, and muddy kids. A muddy good time all around really.

This crew seemed to have a good time though, so we'll have to invite them back to help out with the next big mud event of the season--Christmas tree shopping!

Duck

A picture tells a story more than many words could, but falls far short of being able to express smells and tastes.  I cooked up the duck breasts medium rare (as per instructions online and in the Joy of Cooking)  The leg and back meet was browned with some bacon, the pan then deglazed with stock to prepare the beans, and then some greens from the farm were steamed on top.  This was so good, so tender, so tasty!

Tomatoes

Unfortunately tomato season is just about run out, as the cold and rain has moved into the region for who knows how long. This is our last glorious batch, featuring a mix from our and Gus's garden.

A few of the most choice were eaten fresh with a touch of salt and pepper; the rest that were a little too young or a few days too old were mixed with vinegar, garlic, and apples before being reduced to a flavorful tomato relish.