The last week I have been very busy with harvesting and even though the carrots and potatoes are still on the ground I was very busy with the pumpkins and courgettes. Today I picked up the very last ones. Still left the plants be since some autumns the weather warms just enough so that we will get one or two pumpkins more. Not huge ones but still food from our own garden. When the frost bites the plants for the first time I do the rest of the garden work. Then I will be sure that there is no more harvest to get.
Last week we got apples from my husband's parents. This week I have been slicing and drying those apples for the winter. We use them mostly on homemade muesli but they are also great for the kids to eat instead of candies. More healthier too! And now that I am writing this our house is filled with a wonderful scent of apples drying. Most fruits and herbs do give that wonderful scent while drying. Makes you love the autumn.
Needless to say that baking has been very limited. I have only made the daily bread and that's it. No cookies or cakes since harvesting and my little one has taken all my time. But we have had much fun too and some unforgettable moments - like when he said mother (äiti) for the very first time. :)
Next week will be different too since then my husband will go back to work after his wonderfully long summer holiday. This was great time in many ways - mostly because this was a fist time in a long time that he was able to have this long summer vacation.
In a way it's a little sad that he has to go back to work. I know that the children will be sad too - it has been nice to have dad around this much and after the vacation it's back to more or less insane working hours. But this is how life is and we need to get by with the things that are our life. We all do our share.
In the following weeks I still need to dig up the potatoes, carrots, pick up the rest of the beans (I saw small ones hanging in the bushes) and I might dry some more herbs since those little treasures have already grown up again. Last gifts of the garden before the autumn really arrives.