September got here fast, and slow, if I am being honest. August was hot, hot, hot. And very dry! We had almost no rain with 100+ temps, day after day. July, August and the first part of September are not gardening months in East Texas due to the heat. And I am adjusting my gardening schedule, desires and workload to that fact. All of a sudden, here we are, September 1, 2026. A little side note, 52 years ago at this very time I am pecking out the words to this post, I was in active labor, getting ready to deliver my first born. Whew, so many memories! And now it is time to join Sherry for In My Kitchen!
I think most of us are ready for the adventures of autumn to begin, even those across the pond, where it is your springtime! A change of season is just that, a change of season for everyone, it might be a different season, than the one you are enjoying however! Things cool down here considerably in autumn so in some ways we have a second springtime to enjoy.
Across the bottom, L to R: orange flesh sweet potatoes growing out of the ground, purple flesh Japanese sweet potatoes, rooting before being planted. And a purple flesh Japanese sweet potato I am hoping to get a couple more starts from before it is past it's prime.
The only thing that grows well this time of year is sweet potatoes.
So I went in big time and currently have three types in various stages of growth. Standard orange flesh, about ready to harvest. Tan flesh Japanese Sweet Potatoes that are doing well, and I hope will begin growing tubers soon. And purple flesh Japanese Sweet potatoes that are rooting in a jar on the dining table. I hope to put these starts into the ground after the rains that have been promised for a couple of days now. I have also used this time to weed and tidy up the garden. And Man O Mister, we have had a boatload of weeds this year!
And not to brag but also two thick seasons of "lovebugs" flying around. The above photo was from a 200 mile day trip...
Our kids were away for nine days on a cruise to celebrate their 24th wedding anniversary.
And oh my gosh, did we miss them! And the grandson of course! Their first night back we all visited for several hours, with my grandson in my lap or our playing together quietly on the floor as the conversations continued.
My daughter presented me with this lovely gift upon their return. A little diary page complete with photos and a summary of the day, in a card. One card for each day of the cruise. I loved reading these and no doubt will read them again...she is so creative and thoughtful!
And because of the heat, I was much busier in the kitchen, if you can believe that!
We still ate every breakfast, lunch and dinner at home. But I got back into the rhythm of cooking, taking photographs and writing up a blog post. It was helpful that the garden did not need as much attention. Nor did the now older chickens. Who are still not laying eggs due to the heat, most likely. But that is a complaint for another time, LOL!
This is how I kept busy with the kids away, the bug invasion, the weeds, the chickens and the garden...
My husband is a smoothie lover! We have begun changing our spending habits to be able to travel more. One change is making everything we can, ourselves. And this even bigger change, not heading to Costco each month. We now make our own Smoothie Packets, and honestly they are so easy, no reason not to DIY!
I am working through The Blue Zones of Happiness personally as well as sharing this book (and some finding about myself) for a monthly book review I participate in each month. I was pleased that I had, already on my own, taken on several ideas that were gathered from the Blue Zones Countries.
Potatoes storage is a real problem here in East Texas. They keep about 6 days before sprouting out! While I could store them in my root cellar in Montana, no such animal exists here in Texas. So I decided to be proactive and get them cooked and into the freezer or fridge to avoid waste. And I love this new way of having potatoes ready to go, this is my new process when potatoes come home!
It was time to come up with a tasty cookie for my husband, but honestly it also needed to be easy, and small batch as well. Looking around did not provide a new recipe, so I turned to this old standby and added a couple of new ingredients, and we now have a new chocolate cookie for him to enjoy!
More and more we turn to natural sweeteners, and I realized that molasses often gets the short end of the stick. Currently molasses is getting a bit of a revival for the nutritional values. Yep! Most natural sweeteners also contain trace minerals. Also at the same time, I noticed we tend to use a lot of molasses, so it only made sense to show molasses a little bit of love!
We also eat a lot of green beans. Green beans are a humble vegetable but they contain silicon, which is needed for bones and connective tissue. With that said, I don't think you can eat too many of them, so a lot of different recipes seems like a really good idea! This one also has a bit of bitter to it, not medicine bitter, umami bitter. We loved this dish and no doubt it will be on regular rotation.
And that my friends brings August kitchen fun, to a close! Thanks so much for dropping by, I appreciate it so much!
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I picked up that blue zones book at my library but haven't gotten around to reading it just yet. I can not get over the bugs on your car; though I do remember our rental looking a bit like that when we went on our Colorado/South Dakota trip.
ReplyDeleteJoanne, my daughter says that we had 2 seasons of lovebugs last year, but I don't remember that! We definitely did this year, so far 2026 has been weedy and buggy, LOL!
DeleteBirthday blessings for your first born! Such a clever idea to cook up the potatoes for future use. I do that with tomatoes. I make my own smoothies every day, and buy IQF berries in bulk and then just take out what I need. And I cut up cucumbers and freeze them as well. So much more economical. Wishing you cooler weather :)
ReplyDeleteTandy, thank you! I think all busy folks "put up" food to avoid waste, but I have to ask myself why I did not think of this before? It turns out I love having prepared side dishes in the freezer. Thanks so much for stopping by, I appreciate it.
DeleteIt was a hot August here in England too with record temperatures and very little rain until the end of the month.
ReplyDeleteGood job with the sweet potatoes!
It sounds like a great visit with your kids and what a sweet gift from your daughter.
Kim it was, thank you! We all have plans for a cruise to Alaska early 2027. I am really looking forward to that!
DeleteHow wonderful that your daughter and family went on a cruise. Did you say where? Glad they had a good time. Those bugs!! Never seen anything like it Melynda. Our weather has started to cool off just a little. Our mornings are cooler in the high 60's but we still get up to mid 80's which is much cooler than the humid 90's we were experiencing. Enjoy those sweet potatoes . I read the blue zones book but its been a while . I should re-read.
ReplyDeleteJudee, I will have to go back and see if I did, they went to the Bahamas. We all have plans early 2027 for a family cruise to Alaska. Honestly I never see love bugs before, until moving here!
DeleteWe like to make what we call Greek beans (tho not Greek at all) with tomatoes and onions, and lots of garlic. Delicious! I store potatoes in the vegetable crisper of the fridge where they last for weeks. And I like to steam and then freeze vegetables like green beans for later use. Thanks for joining in and for using the IMK logo. See you next month.
ReplyDeletecheers
sherry
Sherry we love that same combination! Thanks so much for hosting In My Kitchen, I appreciate it and visiting with all the other bloggers.
DeleteYou really seem to have made the most of a hot month with all your cooking and blogging. I enjoyed reading your molasses post - made me wish for more molasses in my life. It is so long since I made beans with molasses. So interesting to see you freeze cooked potatoes - I often find that the texture of potatoes can change in the freezer but I roast stews with potatoes in them. And your sweet potatoes sound wonderful. That present from your daughter on her cruise was so thoughtful to make you feel so pleased to have her back and get to share so much of her trip.
ReplyDeleteJohanna, those diary cards are such a keepsake! I won't lie the last couple of months with high heat have been tough, I really miss my outdoor time in the garden. Not the greatest farmer, but I do enjoy my garden. Thanks so much for stopping by, I appreciate it.
DeleteYou’ve had a productive month, Melynda! I love the diary cards your daughter made from their cruise, what a lovely idea and such a nice keepsake. You’ve been busy in the kitchen too, and those chocolate peanut butter cookies look delicious! 😊
ReplyDeleteJayne, thank you! Those diary cards really are a treasure!
DeleteI well remember the Texas heat, and family there are talking about the difficulty of it. You have done well in spite of all the heat. Smoothie packets are a great idea, so easy to pull out. I like to can our potatoes, and they work really well in soups and as hash browns. Blessings to you!
ReplyDeleteMarilyn, thank you kindly, have a great week ahead.
DeleteOur gardens are looking sort of tired these days. I think August was hard on everyone!
ReplyDeleteMichele, I could not agree more, "tired" is a good term to apply. Thanks so much for stopping by, I appreciate it.
DeleteYou had a busy August! I had not heard of freezing potatoes before - it will be interesting to hear more about that experiment!
ReplyDeleteCharlene, I have learned I love having potatoes in the freezer to pull out for an easy dinner, Thanks so much for stopping by, I appreciate it.
DeleteHappy birthday to your oldest. :) And what a sweet gift from the cruise. Thanks for sharing this with us at Will Blog for Comments #92. Looking forward to seeing what you'll share at #93, which opens Monday.
ReplyDeleteJennifer, thank you and thanks so much for stopping by!
Delete