Each day at this point in the garden season is a treasure. Be-jeweled.

I feel it.

Looking about this plot of ground, October 4th in the afternoon, I feel the gift big time.

It makes poignant, clear sense, to truly be present in the moment these days of twirling, fleeting gold and changing season. And I do my best. Looking for beauty, and finding it. Below in the magical gourd vines, arching and climbing their way up the apple tree, curling into the elderberry bushes, grasping along the fence and up the apricot tree!

Surely one of these pie pumpkins will be transformed into a Thai style pumpkin coconut milk soup, at the right moment, the right fall meal with friends. It simply must.  And my pumpkin spice cake roll, creamy filling flavored with a little brandy, and all the right winter spices.  Maybe another will become maple chai pumpkin pie…. and perhaps pumpkin tempura…. mmmm.

These bits of broccoli are wonderful in a quick morning frittata with crumbled goat feta and fresh oregano…but, I like to leave some on the plants so they may flower, too. After I saw the bees whirring all amongst them these past cool mornings…

I harvested a LOT of basil today –

I made pesto with walnuts and walnut oil, parmesan, garlic, salt, and all this glorious basil. Some will be dabbed atop japonica rice pancakes, some no doubt with pasta, a tangy scattering of my dried tomatoes, and chevre… I’m keeping the stems which grew so sturdily they appear to have a thin brown bark. Thinking they will add a sweet rich scent to a fire this fall in the chimenea.

Then, the jungly tomatillo thicket beckons me close – while more visions (like sugarplums?!) dance in my head. I am so grateful!

I picked up a sack of chilies at the farmer’s market today, and roasted them myself at home. The heady scent of roasting chilies in the house is nearly as wonderful as eating them, fiery seeds and all.

I have a tomatillo salsa (Salsa Verde) recipe from Diane Kennedy’s Art of Mexican Cooking I’m amassing a few more handfuls of ripe fruits for – for a future post. I make it also with green tomatoes of any variety, just because it is so bright and invigorating during these snowy Colorado winters.

I feel stretched  a little thin myself these harvesting days with so much to do…  I have also a box of pears, picked at my friends’ orchard. For lavendar spiced pears, and pear amaretto preserves, salads with dried plums, chard and a blackberry vinaigrette, and juicily just eating out of hand. And I’m putting together some gluten free samples for a coffee shop in town, I’ll share with you in the next few days – the photos and recipes preparing chocolate dipped almond flour biscotti, and an amazing hazelnut orange quinoa coffeecake. For now, the beauty of the harvest, and this glorious crisp day, is foremost in my mind. A beautiful, waking dream.