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| Still blooming. |
We measured and saw that we now have 100 feet of standing water above our well pump, which in a time of drought is a very good thing and gives us confidence of good water for years to come.
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| Partial autumn harvest. and gorgeous corn |
The pumpkin harvest came in in fits and starts, but we probably got at least 50 pounds worth of orange-y goodness, which will keep us in pies, soups and bread this year. And my "glass gem" corn is ready to harvest and is prettier than I ever imagined it would be. Really, it is amazing! I am saving enough to plant next year, and giving a lot away to friends who are suitably impressed when I show it to them (amazing how I can work the phrase, "would you like to see my rare corn?" into so many conversations.)
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| "Have you seen my rare corn?" |
My other news is a great boon for us...we are now in escrow for the 2 1/2 acres of property which lies directly to the west of ours. It's a large, unimproved west-facing slope that allows the entire hill to belong to one owner -- us. It's great for two reasons: First, because it guarantees our view into perpetuity -- no one can ever build on it and obstruct our views of the Coast Range, which from our back porch runs from San Luis Obispo all the way up to Cone and Serra Peaks in Big Sur (truly, we have one of the best views in the county but up until this moment, it could have vanished if the lot next door to us sold to someone who wanted to build at the top of the hill).
The other boon for us is that our septic leach field is located on this other property, which could cause huge problems if it was ever owned by someone other than us! This is something we did not realize until after we moved in, and so it's been a little tense figuring out just how to deal with it.
And both those things will make our place a better real estate value, always a good thing to know in uncertain financial times, which I think we've basically been living in since 2008 or even 2001, depending on where you sit on the Pessimism Scale.
I'm on the Optimism Scale and enjoying it!
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| Our view is too large to fit. Graphic design folk, turn your head. |
Beautiful corn! And I love pumpkin everything - soup, pie, pancakes, french toast...
ReplyDeleteWe were in Big Sur and Monterey when we visited California. Do you live near there?
Yes, we are close to both of them, Molly! I can be in Monterey in about one and a half hours. And Big Sur is such a beautiful part of the state, I hope you enjoyed it! It takes us a little longer to get there because Hwy 1 is pretty challenging....but gorgeous.
DeleteHow beautiful! I'd never know this harvest was from California! I'm surprised pumpkins do so well for you. Certainly no humidity to rot them but I always thought they liked a lot of water. Though I remember you saying in years past that your pumpkins had so much more flavor tha canned or grocery store "pie pumpkins". The pumpkins grown here don't really have much flavor.
ReplyDeleteAnd the corn is beautiful! How bad is dried?
ReplyDelete*has it dried?
DeleteThe pumpkins ARE more flavorful because they don't get as much water, and this year I even went with an Amish Sugar Pie pumpkin that I wasn't sure I'd be able to grow and they did grow nicely! The only thing we can't do here is giant pumpkins....it's just too hot. The corn is drying and once it turns a bit cooler I'll spend a morning shucking it and saving the seed.
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