As Fall Progresses...

Autumn is my favorite season!  "Why?", you ask.  Well, for starters:

Apples, 
          Pumpkins,
                         Mums, and
                                    Campfires with hot apple cider and cocoa!

I especially love the changing colors, though.  In the northeast, especially out in the country, you see it first in the weeds and the mature crops ready for harvest, then the leaves, and finally the grass.  Each day, the ordinary becomes new and exciting for the observant, nature-loving person. 

For example, the view from my favorite spot has been changing - slowly at first, but daily in the last week!
 

 September 3rd

September 24th

September 30th

 I find it fascinating!  What a creative God we have to make such things happen.  And, how generous of Him to share such beauty with us.

Last year, we didn't get to enjoy the colors of fall for long, due to our weather.  However, this year, the change is happening gradually and in grandeur!  Don and Will's tree science studies tell us that this year's weather not only makes for brilliant color to enjoy, but should also make for a terrific maple season come February or March. 



Besides enjoying the beauty of autumn, what else have we been up to lately?  Well, if a picture is worth a thousand words....I have about 10,000 to share!

Hiking at local State Parks, adding more trees to our sap collection lines,  trail riding and walking at home,

Walking around the nearby lakes,
documenting the changing colors,
cooking over campfires,
creating an obstacle course for our energetic dogs,  raising Wiggles and family, jumping horses, and soaking up as much sunshine as we possibly can!!!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 



Oh, yeah!  
We also visited the zoo, recently.  



My favorite animal?  I'm a Leo, so.... of course, I adore .......
                 

I plan to post some delicious fall recipes that include maple syrup combined with my other favorite fall ingredients, so stay tuned!

Ushering in Autumn

Good evening, Friends!  Well, today was the kind of day that reminds me why I love autumn in the Northeast.  Bright sunshine, azure sky dotted with fluffy, white clouds, and a light breeze.



It was about 68 degrees and DRY today, after a few days of damp, rainy weather.  It felt GLORIOUS to be outside!  And, the vegetation is just hinting at  it's vibrant fall colors, to be revealed in the coming weeks.

 

I breathed deeply... that crisp, fresh air while on my daily walk to the field at the top of the hill today.  The dogs bounded through the field, and tracked critters through the woods.  I love the way the trees filter the sunlight in autumn.  Depending on the time of day I walk, I get a completely different picture.

Tig in nearly six months old now.  He's grown so much since his arrival on May 26th - 33lbs. at his mid-August check-up!

Being in a family of yellow labs, he's beginning to pick up "lab" behaviors.  My little Aussie shepherd thinks he's a hunting dog, flushing game and hurling himself into bodies of water after critters!  Now, if he could get that "retrieving" part...

I soak it in - not just the sights of early autumn, but the sounds, too.  The geese overhead announce their presence as they head south.

 


 
Meanwhile, Don was thrilled to have one of his days off coincide with sunshine!  He and the boys had a perfect afternoon to exercise his resourcefulness on our new, larger chicken coop.  He's building it with materials we already have around the farm.  I'll be sure to share that project as it progresses.

After a delicious fall meal of turkey, mashed potatoes and carrots, I walked out to the pond with the dogs, and got a few early evening photos.

Then, a sweet family from Staten Island, New York City stopped by to purchase some maple syrup.  I so enjoy having people stop in for some syrup and a chat!  Our supply is dwindling, however.  We're down to about eight quarts!  Thankfully, only 5 months to go until the 2015 sap run!

He's getting so handsome, isn't he?

Birthday Wishes Fulfilled...

My birthday was earlier this month.  My husband asked me what I wanted, as any good husband would do, right?  After making a mental list of all the possibilities my answer may hold, I decided to go with simple and inexpensive.

"Honey, I would like to spend a day hiking and exploring someplace new to us in New York.  How about seeing Lake Ontario?  You, me, the dogs and whom ever of our kids is interested."
(And, then, I went shopping, all by myself, and bought 2 pairs of earrings...Takes the guess-work of these things!)

Well, between Don's travels for work.....

Then the dreary, cloudy, soggy weather we experienced for nearly 2 weeks prevented Don from following through with my birthday wish.  Bummer.



However, when we saw that yesterday was predicted to be mostly sunny AND 79 degrees, we decided we just had to do it.  Don would set aside his agenda for completing projects around the farm, and I would pause from school year preparations, cleaning, and processing the veggies from the garden.




We would hike at Chimney Bluff State Park in the morning, enjoy a picnic lunch, then head over to Sodus Point to see the lighthouse and relax on the beach.





 

And, a glorious day it was!!  I want to share with you, my followers, some of the beautiful sights and moments we (Grace, Rosie, Don and I) captured with my camera.  Definitely a place we'll be visiting again!!



I'll try to keep this to my 10 favorite photos, but please forgive me if I go over by 3 or 4!

Mac, fetching a log.  The water is so clear and blue!

My favorite hiking partners in a unique-looking tree.

Hiking towards the bluffs.

Grace captured this seagull on the point of this cool geological feature!






Keep Scrolling....I definitely went over my limit, Folks!  But, you just have to see...

The point from a distance.  Pretty awesome view!

Another beautiful sight captured by Grace!

Looking back at the beach from the pier...

The dogs had a blast swimming.  I wasn't sure how Tig would feel about the rougher, deeper water, since his only swimming experiences thus far have been splashing around our little pond.







Turns out he LOVES to swim - I believe he thinks he's a lab, too!

My beautiful artist!  I hope she will paint one or two of these pictures for me...

A sweet little family on the beach was flying this colorful kite.

And, of course, we couldn't end our day without our little tradition.....

You see, I grew up spending many, many weekends traveling from my family's home in Chester County, PA to the Chesapeake Bay area, where we went boating, crabbing, fishing and water-skiing.  On the way home, we always stopped for ice cream at this great little Mom-n-Pop place called, "The Real McCoy".  Up until a few years ago, I was still stopping there with my own kids.

So, when we saw a little ice cream place that resembled our traditional haunt, I looked at Don.....he looked at me, and.....

You guessed it.....

YUM!!

Thanks so much, Don, for a very lovely birthday!!

Syrup? Sauce? Who cares- It's Heavenly!

About once a month, I serve breakfast....for dinner... at Westbrook Farm.  I have missed the past couple of months, so the kids cheered (a bit too excitedly) when I suggested it on Wednesday afternoon.
William and I stopped at Anderson's Farm Market, about 8 miles from us in Little York, for cantaloupe and sausage to go with our blueberry pancakes.

Since we have an abundance of blueberries at the moment, I decided to make a heavenly blueberry topping for our pancakes.  But.....I'm not sure whether to call it blueberry "sauce" or "syrup".  Here's the recipe - you decide....











JEN'S BLUEBERRY..... SAUCE?

2 cups blueberries
1-2 Tbs. orange juice
1 cup maple syrup





- Dump blueberries in a medium sauce pan and crush them gently as pan heats up to a low heat.  Add orange juice and maple syrup.  Bring to a slow boil.


- Mix about a tablespoon of cornstarch into about a 1/4 cup water.  Add to bubbling mixture.  Allow to thicken for a few minutes.  Remove sauce from heat and let cool slightly, then serve.

This sauce is absolutely delicious on pancakes, waffles, french toast, hot cereal and more!

So, as I was walking through the woods yesterday, I noticed that leaves are beginning to change.   

Already??  Ugh...

There are so many more things I hoped to accomplish this summer, but I guess I have to let them go....very hard for me!

Still hoping to get in a hike or two before it gets too cold for these bones, so stay tuned for photos!

A New Twist On An Old Favorite

We all have our comfort foods, right?  Well, one of mine happens to be blueberry muffins with hot tea.  I love to enjoy this tasty treat on a brisk autumn morning or a snowy, cloudy winter afternoon...... or even a chilly, rainy, late-summer day, like today in CNY! 

I know....I already shared one muffin recipe......but this one is an interesting twist on a classic.  I happened to have some crushed pineapple leftover from baking my mom's zucchini bread recipe, so I decided to play around with my standard blueberry muffin recipe and came up with this:

Moist and Chewy Blueberry-Pineapple Muffins


2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 Tbs. brown sugar
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 cup crushed pineapple, well-drained
2 cups blueberries





Preheat oven to 375 and spray muffin pans. (Makes 16 -18 regular muffins.)

1.  Mix all dry ingredients in large bowl.
2.  In medium bowl, mix well the eggs, oil, yogurt, syrup, brown sugar, and lemon juice.  
3.  Combine wet ingredients with the dry ingredients.


 



4.  Gently stir in the crushed pineapple and blueberries. Batter will be very thick.  **If batter seems too dry at this point, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk.

5.  Spoon into muffin pans and bake for 16-20 minutes.



**Almost any topping, or even no topping, works for these moist, tasty muffins.  I decided to take about a tablespoon of melted butter and stir in a bit of maple syrup.  Then, I evenly coated about a 1/2 cup of coarse-chopped walnuts and sprinkled on top of the muffins BEFORE baking to create a toasted maple-walnut topper.  






Brew a cup of coffee or tea and....YUM!  Delicious comfort for any day!  Needless to say, these muffins go quickly in my home.....

Check back later in the week for my homemade hot blueberry syrup recipe.  What's better than blueberry syrup on blueberry pancakes, right?