The sweetest thing

Kale gets sweeter after a light frost.  We've had frost.  But I really can't say if the kale is sweeter since I haven't tried it yet this year. 

The chickens still like it, although lack of sweetness never stopped them before.  They are unapologetic kale addicts.

So maybe it's sweeter. 

We've had snow too, but I don't know if that makes the kale any more sweet.  And honestly, how in the world is "sweet" a good way to describe a leafy green vegetable?

But there is something on my farm that is very sweet.

Since we've had frost and snow, it's not raspberries.  They are amazingly sweet, but they're gone for now.

                               

See you next summer, yummy raspberries.

So what could it be, you ask?

Hmmmmmm...

Is this little bean the sweetest thing on my farm?

Nope.

But she knows what the sweetest thing on the farm is...

Yes, it's....

...these sweet little toes.

Scrumptious.  She can't help herself.

I can't help myself either, so I know she's right.

But I still miss the raspberries.

Pumpkin invasion

My home has been taken over by pumpkins. Honestly though, I guess I did invite them in. And they are terribly pretty lying all around.



Aren't they pretty?!

We grew Autumn Gold and Snackjack pumpkins this year.

Autumn Gold is a nice average pumpkin. Round and orange. Orange and round. With seeds inside... it's a nice pumpkin, really, a good size for carving... but what in the world will we do with eighteen of them?

Anyone want a pumpkin? Or three?



But the Snackjacks are special. They are small, and cute, and just the right size for boys to haul all over the house.

Sorry, the boys are keeping every last one of the Snackjack pumpkins. We do need to learn to share, but even I might have a hard time letting these jewels go.



Can you tell Snackjacks make boys happy?

The Snackjacks are extra-special because they are absolutely jam-packed FULL of hull-less seeds. We love roasted pumpkin seeds! Hooray for Snackjacks!

With very, very much anticipation... and very, very much giggling... I carefully split two of them open.

The boys dug in with spoons and before I knew it we had pumpkin seeds everywhere. Seeds on the floor, seeds on the underside of the cabinets, seeds in the sink... but thankfully, most of them made it into the bowl.



You can't quite tell from the picture, but we got a TON of seeds from these two tiny pumpkins. And yes, that is a scientifically accurate measurement of them.




The boys love them roasted with just a bit of olive oil...




and just enough season salt, or more than enough, depending on who's in charge...

Yes it's almost noon, and yes, the boys are still in their jammies. Sometimes it's more important to roast pumpkin seeds! I'm a Mom with my priorities straight, that is sure.



shiny seeds in the pan ready to roast




still warm, the boys dig in and



YUMMY!!!

If Daddy is lucky, there will be a few left when he gets home.