Amaranth

I harvested amaranth this week and it was so gosh darn photogenic that I just had to post some photos. I can't get enough of its beautiful colors and textures.

I blogged about growing, harvesting, threshing, and using amaranth last year around this time but this year I'm just going to post these photos.

Luscious. The varieties we grew are Mercado, Golden Giant, and Burgundy, all heirlooms.

Something about these photos just really does it for me. They just feel like the essence of this beautiful Fall to me.

If you are not into the full-on supermodel of homescale grain production photoshoot, just click over to the more practical post from last year here. But here are some more photos for those of you who feel me on this.

Fall Garden

Even though it was still in the 80s today, the garden looks like fall and the fall projects are in full swing. Here are a few shots from today.

Autumn Joy Sedum in bloom, with a few Red Spider zinnias mixed in:

And being enjoyed by the honeybees...

All Blue potatoes:

Keyhole bed put to sleep for the winter:

Seashells Cosmos in bloom ... I am in love with the frilly, tubular petals:

Winter squash bonanza...

...Neck Pumpkins...including a 9-pounder on top...

...Thelma Sanders Sweet Potato squash...

...and top to bottom: Uncle David's Dakota Dessert Squash (buttercup), Paydon Acorn, and Zeppelin Delicata...

Red Zinger Hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa, also known as red sorrel):

Tried and true Sensation cosmos:

Sunflowers and friends:

Marshmallow in bloom, with one honeybee per flower:

Cosmos Mona's Orange and Memories of Mona:

Ready for radishes to emerge:

Shungiku chrysanthemum, zinnias, cherry tomatoes and basil still going strong, and sunflowers:

Texas Sage and Tithonia:

Silverwhite Silverskin garlic processed, graded, and ready for sale, planting, and eating.

Fall garden seeds...

Mullein and sumac drying...

And a couple of my favorite fall gardening references:

• The 12-Month Gardener
• Four Season Farm

Happy fall, and can I get a "hell yeah" for the forecast for the next week -- highs in the high-60s/low-70s and RAIN!

Goats!

I don't have time to write much, but thought I'd post a few photos of the new farm residents. . .more to come!

Pausing for Gratitude

This time of year, marked with harvest festivals in many earth-based cultures, is a time to pause from the garden frenzy, take stock, enjoy the fruits of our labor, and be grateful. In the ancient Celtic calendar, one of the four major festivals of the year was observed at the beginning of August, called Lá Lúnasa, Lughnasadh, or Lammas, which was in that part of the world at that time the beginning of the main harvest season.

In years past, we have celebrated this time of year with fanfare; this year Lúnasa came and went without any vegetables being launched down the Swannanoa river or harvest altars being constructed, but I have been taking time to pause and give thanks for the garden this week.

I spent some time this week in the garden taking photos and feeling immense gratitude for all of the labor that created this bounty, and for the Earth's incredible abundance.

Here are a few shots from the past week in the garden and at market. Happy harvest!

Zinnias and Purslane

Black

Swallow-

tail

Moon & Stars Water-

melon

Cherokee Trail of Tears Black Beans

Edamame

Bush beans, edamame, and lots and lots of pole beans

Depp's Pink Firefly tomato - a gorgeous and delicious Appalachian heirloom that has been a heavy producer for us this year.

Tomato jungle in the hoophouse...

Cucumbers and Globe Amaranth

Sweet potatoes, squash, and pole beans

Edamame surrounded by pole beans

Cardoon flowering

Magenta spreen lambsquarters

Love-Lies-Bleeding and Autumn Joy Sedum

Moonflower climbing

Our tomatoes for sale at the West Asheville Tailgate Market

Italian heirloom frying peppers at market

Cherry tomatoes at market. We are growing the varieties White Currant, Peacevine, Sungold, and Black Cherry.

More tomatoes! Two of my all-time favorite slicers. The green-ripening Emerald Evergreen and the beautiful Flame/ Hillbilly.

Orange Banana, Pearly Pink, and Cream Sausage tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes, sunflowers, and zinnias in the garden...plus some found- object garden art!