Green Mountain Gardener

We spent an afternoon in Shelburne, VT at the Shelburne Orchards.  With over 80 acres of apple trees, 10 of which are organic, you can find just about every variety imaginable.  Along the main road, we were greeted by several of these scarecrows, waving their “hello’s.”   The orchard was serving warm apple pie with vanilla Island Homemade Ice Cream and Apple Brown Betty.  I think I gained a pant size just looking at all of the delicious treats.  We sampled some of the pie, which was well worth it.  And, I made some homemade apple crisp with some of our fresh apples.

The view from the orchard was beautiful.  The fall foliage is at its peak – swirling clouds or orange, yellow, pink and red against an endless backdrop of  bright blue sky.  This time of year, there’s no place I would rather be than right here in Vermont.

We joined a Fall CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) for the first time this year.  It has certainly been well worth it.  I would highly recommend joining one if you have the opportunity in your area.  If you live in Vermont, there are several to choose from.  To see a complete listing click here – Where to Find a Vermont CSA.  So far, we have enjoyed husk cherries, onions, peppers, potatoes, lettuce, tomatoes, kale, romanesco, cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, dill, and cilantro.  The tomatoes were a huge treat because like many northeast gardeners, we got that nasty blight which took out our entire tomato crop.  We signed up with Valley Dream Farm – 10 glorious weeks of fresh, organic vegetables.

For those that may be wondering, I have not abandoned my blog.  I spent the summer soaking up what little sun we had – and gardening my ass off!!  In August, I traded in my full time job to return to school full time.  It was a bit of an adjustment – becoming a thirty-something unemployed college student.  It has proven to be more work than a full-time job, but I am truly enjoying it.