Wish lemons and limes would grow here, but luckily friends from Florida do share some from their trees. Also Sam’s Club and Costco have good buys on large bags. Of course, lemonade and limeade are very refreshing. It’s just difficult to use them before they spoil unless the juice is frozen.

There are lots of ways to freeze the juice. My favorite is putting a teaspoon in each section of ice trays. Then when completely frozen the cubes are placed in a container or bag. It’s also convenient to have some frozen slices to add to iced tea or mixed drinks.  Lemon and lime zest can also be frozen in teaspoon or tablespoon packets.

My favorite juicer is this one. It makes quick work of juicing without much effort.

Many recipes call for the addition of lemon and/or lime. (Fennel Potato Soup and Black Bean Salsa for two.) Frozen lime and lemon cubes are ready to be popped into the dish, without having to stop and squeeze the juice or measure.

Just when it seemed this fall would be a dud, colors started appearing October 15th. Then each day brought new highlights. And then much needed rain enhanced the subtle reds, oranges and yellows.

The early morning fogs adds another bit of beauty to this view.

My cat steps on the rocks to avoid the wet grass. It’s past the middle of October but the garden still has tomatoes, peppers, kale, turnip and mustard greens, many herbs, beets, onions, and a struggling squash plant.

This view off the side of my deck shows some vibrant colors up close.

The morning sun turns this tree golden,

and deepens the reds on this one.

At the end of October the color still delights.

And this picture was taken November 15th. The Japanese maple always provides an array of color in fall and spring.

Butternut Squash________________and Parsley Karusa

My neighbor, Jenny, sent me this recipe.

Butternut cakes with black bean salsa

1 cup cooked butternut squash flesh

½ cup quinoa or brown rice

¼ cup cooked corn kernels

2 T chopped parsley

1 t ground allspice

Sea salt to taste

Combine ingredients and form small cakes. Place in greased baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes until golden. Serve with salsa. Makes one to two servings.

Salsa

½ cup black beans, cooked

1 t jalapeno pepper, minced

1 T finely diced red bell pepper

1 T finely diced onion

6 sprigs cilantro, finely chopped

2 T lime juice

1 t honey

Combine ingredients and refrigerate 30 minute or more to blend flavors.

Butternut cakes with salsa, parsley, rice and corn, roll and radishes.

The black bean salsa is also good as a dip.

the last fennel in this year’s garden (Florence Fennel Zeta Fino)

French tarragon

Fennel decorates my garden. It’s frilly fronds edge at least one of the squares. I plant more each year, not only because of it’s beauty. There is a wealth of delicious recipes using fennel, especially good with chicken. My very favorite is Creamy Fennel and Potato Soup.

soup recipe

You don’t have to put in the cream with the fennel seeds and tarragon, but it’s a lovely addition. I use fresh tarragon, and add it as a garnish with the fennel fronds. This perennial herb has been coming back for years. The amount of potatoes called for in the recipe can be increased without losing the fennel flavor.

Leftovers just get better and better.

Fennel can be frozen by simmering with the onions for 15 minutes in chicken broth. Then cool and pack in containers. Thaw and add with potatoes to enjoy the soup any season.

Potatoes are easy to grow, but my space limits growing them. They even come up from the peels I put in the compost, but never amount to much. Deciding what to plant is always a difficult choice.