Fall Is Still In The Air

The days are getting shorter and the night's are colder...true signs we are nearing the end of November.

Here in New Jersey, 

leaves are still falling and we still have some days with warmer temperatures. 

On our "Sunday Drive" you can still see some trees that have all of their leaves.

On the bike path at Allaire State Park, all of the leaves have fallen.

On our drive Sunday, we stopped by the ocean, just to make sure it was still there, it was.

The smell of the salty air was so refreshing, the wispy clouds were delightful.

Back at home...take a look at our front lawn. 

We do not have one single tree in the front yard and our lawn is covered in leaves.

 And our Lawn Maintenance Company has already cleaned up our leaves once. 

I'm sure many people can relate!

The Christmas Trees At Barlows

As promised in yesterdays post, here's a look at the Christmas trees at 

 Barlow Flower Farm

This family owned and operated farm has a great story,

if you are interested you can read about it here.

 

 

I always love seeing Santa in his truck.

It"s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Every inch of my local garden center says Merry Christmas in the most beautiful, traditional way.

Barlow Flower Farm 

is a family owned and operated garden center since 1983.

I would like to buy one of each item but I am really trying to pair down my Christmas decor.

This would be a great spot to purchase Christmas gifts if you needed them for adults, 

but I only buy for my son, and my nieces and nephews.

We started exchanging gifts in that way years ago,

 only buying presents for the kids, and that has worked out great.

I bought my paperwhite bulbs while I was there, I always plant them sometime in January.

So here it is, visiting sure did put me in the holiday spirit.

The festive outdoor displays...

They have a vintage railway set up, one of the most unique I have ever seen.

This sled sits in the center of the railway display...

Here's a peek indoors at their vibrant Christmas shop.

This is the first of the poinsettias they have grown here in the greenhouses.

There were a lot of beautifully decorated Christmas Trees, I will share pictures of them tomorrow!

Wise Words On Sunday

 

Saturday Critters #570

 I went to check on the cygnets that we found this past summer at

Lake of the Lilies

I am not sure how many there were originally but only 2 survived.

They were not difficult to find as they are still grayish with some white, their bills are still pink/gray.

Six months after birth, they will learn to fly.

Cygnets typically turn white during their second summer.

One article said they reach full white plumage with orange beaks when they mature, 

which is usually around 3 years old.

Here they are today...they were easy to spot, they are the only 2 colored like this.

Here they are on May 30th, there were 4 at that time.

June 30th

On June 30th there were still 4.

At some point 2 more were gone and only 2 survived.

Sharing today's images with Eileen at 

Viewing Nature With Eileen 

for Saturday Critters

Making Beef Stew

 I have not made Beef Stew in ages...

I always use to make it in the crock pot on Halloween, but somehow that tradition faded.

The crock pot takes a long time for the food to cook.

We don't really eat lunch, 

so we eat dinner early and when I use the crock pot the meal is not ready when we are.

Right now, I have been using my big blue Rachael Ray cast iron pot and I really love that.

I could not find the recipe I use to use, but I had a pretty good recollection of what I use to put in it.

I found a recipe on line that was very similar, so I altered and used that.

I used the celery for flavor, but I diced it very small.

I put seasoned flour in a zip-lock bag and added the cut up meat, shaking the bag to coat the meat.

The video I watched said you could skip this step but I always remember doing it so I did.

The meat comes out and goes back in after the vegetables and broth.

I use frozen pearl onions and we love them!

I ended up using 4 potatoes, we love potatoes.

I remember to photograph some parts, most times I just forget.

Those little chunks in the broth are garlic, not lumps.

You can kind of see the size of the carrots, I cut them a little bit bigger on an angle.

This is the finished stew, all ready to put in bowls...and you guessed it, I forgot to take pictures.

I thickened the gravy at the end with flour and water mixed together.

I always use a jar and shake it together.

I also use a sprinkle of coffee grounds I keep in the freezer...

you could just add a little bit of coffee if you are a coffee drinker and have a little on hand.

In addition I use Gravy Master for color and a little flavor and butter to gloss it up.

We had a big loaf of crusty bread with it and it was the best pot of stew I have ever made.

And one more thing checked off the bucket list.