Warm Oranges for Cooler Days

Fortunately, my garden has not been as neglected as my blog. These fall days are busy – the late summer lull at work ends with a rush of new programming and grant deadlines. Meetings seem to sprout in my calendar as fast as weeds. Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur -- the Jewish new year holidays -- are most welcome, interrupting the pace with time for reflection and appreciation, but they also fill several days. And then there are the garden projects: the shorter days remind us that whatever we hope to finish before winter needs to be done now.

Richard is chopping wood as I write. Earlier, we enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather as we worked on some new paths, moved a few shrubs, planted garlic, weeded and mulched, and got the plants still sitting in pots into the ground so they can settle before winter. In between tasks, there were still green beans, nasturtium blossoms, fall raspberries to nibble as we passed. Most years, we would have had a killing frost before the end of September, but the very rainy weather has kept night-time temperatures above freezing.

In the photos I have been taking, there are warm oranges everywhere: Red Gem marigolds (above) with their petite edible flowers, and calendula (right), whose petals can be added to rice, soups and salad, providing the color of saffron and a tangy, slightly sweet flavor, sprawl through the garden.

The Hopi squash is a rare heirloom that we grew for the first time this summer. 

It is similar to pumpkin in texture and taste. Paired with some just-harvested onions, garlic and leeks, and roasted, it made a wonderful soup last week. 

We ate it with a raw cabbage salad (a mini, tender "Caraflex" cabbage marinated in a olive oil and lemon juice), perfect for a cold, rainy evening. 

The pumpkins, on the other hand, are still ripening; they should be ready in another few weeks. Earlier today, my mom asked for some roasted pumpkin soup for Thanksgiving so we’ll store them until then.