Monday

Mill Hill Meadow Messenger. * Edition 5 *

By: Kerin

Mill Hill Meadow Messenger Correspondent

Well readers, it's here!
At last, it's October!!
My most favorite month of all.

*October is the month for Pumpkins.

There are so many wonderful varieties of pumpkins, gourds and squash!

So many colors and shapes, and lets not forget about the flavors!

Do yourself a favor, and click on the link to learn all about pumpkins!

http://www.allaboutpumpkins.com/index.html

You will find a ton of great information all about pumpkins, including recipes, tips to preserve pumpkins, carving tips, etc...

All across the country, there are pumpkin carving contests, and pumpkin festivals.

Maybe there's one in your area!

*Link to Pumpkin Festivals

:http://www.bobvila.com/articles/pumpkin-festivals-not-to-miss/#.VDKWiuktDVI

Here at Mill Hill Meadow, we didn't have a chance to grow our own pumpkins this year.

The first picture in this post is of our pumpkins that we grew last year at the homestead.

Next year, we will have a pumpkin patch.... even if it's a small one.

*Decorate with pumpkins:

Pumpkins decorate not only the front porch, but mantles, kitchen tables, and hutches.

I love to decorate with pumpkins! I have pumpkins on my t.v hutch, pumpkins on my island, and pumpkins on my front porch.

Ceramic pumpkins on shelves in the bathrooms, and wicker pumpkins on the console table.

When I was young, my parents only bought pumpkins for carving on Halloween.

My mom never used pumpkins for decorating with, and she certainly never brought pumpkins indoors.

How times have changed.

*Poem for October:October

By: Robert Frost

O hushed October morning mild,

Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;

Tomorrow’s wind, if it be wild,

Should waste them all.

The crows above the forest call;

Tomorrow they may form and go.

O hushed October morning mild,

Begin the hours of this day slow.

Make the day seem to us less brief.

Hearts not averse to being beguiled,

Beguile us in the way you know.

Release one leaf at break of day;

At noon release another leaf;

One from our trees, one far away.

Retard the sun with gentle mist;

Enchant the land with amethyst.

Slow, slow!

For the grapes’ sake, if they were all,

Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,

Whose clustered fruit must else be lost—

For the grapes’ sake along the wall.

* Bake it!
Bake up something with pumpkin in it!
How about Pumpkin Scones?

Pumpkin Scones

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 13 minutes

Yield: 36 scones

Ingredients

For the Scone:

4¼ cup flour
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp baking powder
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cloves
¾ tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
¾ cup butter, cold, cut in cubes
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 eggs

For the Vanilla Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp heavy cream

For the Cinnamon Glaze:

1½ cup powdered sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp allspice
2-3 Tbsp heavy cream

Instructions

In small bowl, mix the pumpkin, heavy cream and egg with a whisk. Set aside.
In mixer, using paddle attachment, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and spices. Add in cold butter cubes and mix until crumbly. Slowly add in pumpkin mixture and mix until thoroughly combined.
Divide dough in half, and form the dough into a 12x5 inch rectangle. If it’s too sticky, using hands, mix in enough flour so it is easier to shape.
Cut dough into triangles by making three vertical cuts (you should now have 3 rectangles. Cut each of the rectangles by making an X, I use a pizza cutter. Then make ONE horizontal cut across the center. You should have 18 triangles.
Place each triangle onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in a 425 degree oven for about 13-15 minutes. Repeat with other half of dough.
Cool on rack. Make sugar glaze by whisking the sugar with heavy cream. Using a brush, paint the tops of each scone with the glaze.
To make the cinnamon glaze, whisk all the ingredients together until smooth. Pour into a ziploc bag and cut the corner. Drizzle the glaze over all the scones. Allow to dry (about 15 minutes). Eat and enjoy!

(adapted from The Shoebox Kitchen)http://www.shugarysweets.com/2011/09/pumpkin-scones

I'm giving this recipe a try today!

I'm not a coffee drinker, but I have heard rave reviews about Starbucks pumpkin scones.

So, on a recent shopping trip to the big city, we stopped by a Starbucks, and my sweet husband bought me a pumpkin scone to try.

Yummy! Loved the pumpkin scone, and now, I just have to make some of my very own.

Have you ever made pumpkin scones before? If you have, then by all means email me your recipe!

Well readers, just remember to enjoy this wonderful month of October, and enjoy all things Pumpkin!

Tuesday

Mill Hill Meadow Messenger *Edition 4

                                                              Written by Kerin
                                        Mill Hill Meadow Messenger Correspondent

* Outdoor lovers:
This is the season of the Elk rut.
Nothing like the sound of an elk bugle bouncing off the mountains, and across the meadow.
Click the link below to hear what they sound like:
http://youtu.be/pYzWmKlZtrU

Adult elk usually stay in single-sex groups for most of the year. During the mating period known as the rut, mature bulls compete for the attentions of the cow elk and will try to defend females in their harem. Rival bulls challenge opponents by bellowing and by paralleling each other, walking back and forth. {taken from Wikipedia}

At the Elk farm next to Mill Hill Meadow, the elk now have had their antlers removed to prevent any injuries from one elk to another during the rut.

Days until Fall: Just 6 days, until Fall officially begins.

So, if you've been waiting to decorate, break out the hot chocolate, or place pumpkins around the cottage, you shall not have to wait much longer!

Reading list: "Farm Fresh Murder" by Paige Shelton

It's a great series, and I have bought 3 of the series, and have started reading them.

I also received a great book from a blog friend : " In Perfect Time" by Sarah Sundin.

I'm excited to have great material to read this Fall season.

Isn't it just the most perfect time of year to curl up with a book?! I know lots of Mill Hill Meadow Messenger readers have been compiling lists, and piles of books, just especially for Fall and into winter.

Bakers :

I've just received the newest edition of the King Arthur Flour catalog!

So, let the baking season begin!

I'm sending off for some boiled apple cider. I'm dying to make Apple Cider Caramels.

Recipe link :http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/apple-cider-caramels-recipe

Thoughts of Fall:

"By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer’s best of weather
And autumn’s best of cheer."- Helen Hunt Jackson, September, 1830-1885

"The goldenrod is yellow
The corn is turning brown
The trees in apple orchards
With fruit are bending down."- Childrens song

Crafters:

A simple Fall craft.

Just wood block mod podged with scrap paper, and black letters. Add bits of ribbon, twine and small embellishments.

Easy, inexpensive, and this craft can be personalized for your home.

Get out those wood blocks!

{A special thanks to Carla for making me this "Fall" shelf sitter}