Henny Penny Farmette

The spontaneous invitation my husband made to friends to stop by for a Thanksgiving snack and beverage before the “real” meal started sent me scrambling. What was he thinking? We were celebrating with all the relatives at my daughter’s home, not ours, so how could I host a pre-party gathering? He assured me we could make it work if we kept it simple.

The weather cooperated, so we gathered for a pre-Thanksgiving social in the garden

Our friends were scheduled to dine at a neighbor’s house in the late afternoon but decided they would come by our place first. I figured such a short visit of an hour or two wouldn’t require an elaborate meal . . .  we would snack on crackers and goat cheese, drizzled in a sweet cranberry sauce; pumpkin cream cheese rolled in nuts; and a torte of goat cheese with a layer of pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, and finely chopped pieces of olive. We would offer bottled water, sparkling cider, and a wine to wash it down.

I gathered what was growing on the trees and in the garden to decorate an autumn harvest-looking table

Our Northern California weather could not have been lovelier, so I decided we would sit outside in our garden. I combined red pyracantha berries with blooming red-gold roses and some spikes of purple French lavender in jam jars for a harvest festival look on our patio table.

Decorations for the table began with a few pomegranates, persimmons, chilies, and onions–all readily available on the farmette

Our friends arrived and, after a short time in our tiny farmhouse, followed me to the garden. We had a lovely visit while the blue jays, crown sparrows, morning doves, and black phoebes entertained us with their antics. I think I enjoyed the day all the more for having a chance to socialize a bit in the garden before sitting down to the big feast with all the relatives. Next year, I might actually plan to do a roving Thanksgiving with several parties. It was so much fun!

California chili turns red when ripe

Now that we’ve entered a new year and a new season, I’ve reluctantly pulled the last of the chili pepper plants from my garden. This past summer I grew Anaheim, ancho, chiles de arbol (hot and related to cayenne), banana (also known as yellow wax peppers), and jalapeno (called chipotle whenever the chilies are smoked). I save the seeds in white paper envelopes for replanting and use the chilies in cooking my Hispanic, Caribbean, Indian, Southwestern, and Thai dishes.

Cooks the world over love chilies for the flavors they add to their cuisines, however, chilies contain oils that can  irritate skin and eyes. When harvesting seeds from chili peppers, I wear latex gloves (like surgeons wear). The gloves protect my fingers and hands from the oils but allow me to easily work with the chilies.

Chili peppers add terrific flavor and heat to many of the world’s cuisines

A little tip about gauging the heat of chilies is to look at the top (shoulder) and tip (pointed end). If the top is wide and the tip is blunt, the chili will be milder than a chili with a narrow top and a pointed end. See, http://whatscookingamerica.net/chilepep.htm.

I opted not to put in winter season crops this year. The clay soil needs turning (with a rototiller) and more amendments. With the vegetable garden devoid of plants now except for vagrant lettuces, carrots, and potatoes, I do winter clean-up chores such as composting, pruning, and preparing beds for spring.

The Bay Area forecast for the inland valleys last night predicted plunging temperatures and a hard freeze. I covered the citrus trees with blankets and a heavy sheet of black plastic. At sunup, the temperatures still hovered around 30 degrees Fahrenheit, and white hoar frost covered everything in the garden, including the sheeting.

Jonquils (Narcissus jonquilla)

A garden needs winter–a time of rest, dormancy, and chill. Some plants require many hours of chilling to perform well. Freezes also eliminate some garden pests.

Our neighbor graciously gave us some bulbs a year ago that we planted in the fall. Now they’ve sprouted and are blooming. These white jonquil blooms are similar to those grown in my mother and grandmother’s gardens (although their jonquils were yellow with orange-yellow centers). The blooms add welcome color to the otherwise monochromatic winter landscape. These and other bulbs we’ve planted will eventually render some color in the garden and hopefully a little pollen for the honeybees while we wait for winter to transition into spring.