Jack Came To Visit

Jack Frost that is. Yes last night we had a record low of 29* and all the stragglers from the summer were zapped. Of course it is time, but the first frost always makes me a little sad. No more bits of basil, the last okra, the little cucumber vine that seeded down and had itty bitty cukes on it, all gone. For now, anyway.
A good thing Mr. Frost did was to kill all the pesky aphids that have been happily munching on the kale and collards. We are actually hoping for a cold winter. The last few have been so mild that the mosquitoes never died!
Today I gleaned the garden. Amongst all the sad dark foliage there were tons of peppers to be picked. We will enjoy them every way possible for the next while and I will freeze the ones not eaten for soups, stews and cornbread.

I also picked quite a large mess of butter peas. Those will be a tasty treat as well.

While picking I saw the broccoli is starting to form heads, spinach and kale are ready to harvest as well as the leaf cabbage.
The homestead will settle into a sleepy lull for the next few months. At least on the animals front. The sheep are separated into breeding groups and the goats are not far behind. The garden is easy to maintain through the winter. This will give us some extra time to hopefully finish bigger projects.