Canning Pears, Vegan Halloween cookies, & Halloween scenes

As soon as I woke up today, I cleaned my house and organized my cabinet of canned garden food. I have pickles, beans, grape jelly, pear butter, pepper jelly, and beets left from this summer and last summer.

I made more pear butter with the many pears falling from the trees. 

These precious little spookiest were made today as well, with simple ingredients. I melted 3/4 cup vegan butter then mixed 3/4 cup sugar, then 2 tbsp vanilla, 2 tbsp tapioca starch, 2 tbsp almond milk and used a mixer on high. Then used the mixer on low to stir in sifted 1 cup of self rising flour then a 2-1/4 cup of additional flour. The mixture turns into a thick dough and I chill it in the freezer for an hour. I rolled out the dough, cut out the shapes and baked for 10 minutes on 350 degrees F. I waited till they cooled and decorated with icing.

Grandma made the icing, I made the cookies and decorated them. And they turned out great!

Grandma appreciates Halloween like I do, and we decorate for Halloween inside and out. Here's some pictures of our Halloween scenes.

Canning Pear "butter", & harvesting potatoes & figs

Potato harvest

Pear sauce

Canning pears

Pear butter

Fig heart

Fall Pumpkin patch farm & Arboreteum wildlife park, & greenhouse

Below are pictures of the Bi water farm pumpkin patch we went to in Lexington, Kentucky. It was a very festive and fun place for children, but I quite enjoyed the scenery.  We picked pumpkins and carved them the next day.

 Before we went to the pumpkin patch, we actually stopped by the Arboreteum at the University of Kentucky. It has gardens of flowers, veggies, ponds and other wildlife.

The following weekend, I went to the Amish greenhouse and bought a pumkin and some mums. The tricolored mums are enchanting. I have truly appreciated the fall season more, for many reasons. But, always I hate to see the summer season pass so soon, but I might as well embrace the fallen leaves and crunchy paths, and all the fall colors. 

Much of my weekends have consisted of working or traveling. But I have managed to sneak time in for my gardens. Mostly, I am cleaning the gardens and overwintering the fig trees. I am still harvesting potatoes, pears, figs, and some peppers and tomatoes still, so I'll show you all of that in the upcoming blog post. I have been making batches of pear sauce and pear butter!

Potato, tomato & Pear garden harvest from the Fall Food Forest

Grape jelly from the fall food forest!

Butternut & Freaky Fall gourds, potato harvest + pickling & jelly making