Autumn Wednesday at the Farmhouse
Ben Ashby
Company is always welcome here, except when it isn’t, but most of the time it is. Usually we have a meal here each week. Usually it is on Tuesdays. We come together to plan workshops or events or to gossip or to simply have whatever is fresh from the garden that week. This week we had pumpkin soup, which is a recipe I have shared here on the website. It is one of my most requested dishes. A combination of basil, pumpkin, garlic, and cream create a delicious warm savory autumn pumpkin dish. Leftover pumpkin is turned into pies. Four pies were baked last night after all the company left. Wednesday was the baking day for the week. One day each week is reserved for baking bread. Typically eight loaves are made, four cinnamon, and four regular. Almost all are given away, but today at least one was for the luncheon table. Bread pudding was served, a variation of my traditional bread pudding (available here on the website) with caramel pecan apple butter (available here) added into the egg/cream batter. It was a hearty meal for all.
As I continue sharing the slow life here at Walton’s Creek it’ll be lots of short ramblings like these. Autumn is really progressing beautifully here, each day more leaves are in their glorious colors and the piles are starting to form on the ground. The back of the valley is especially beautiful this year. The tornado took the treeline out that divided the valley in half. Now the focal point is a beautiful grove of maples surrounding an old house high on the north western edge of the valley.
The day began with a few images of my favorite autumn pieces on the mantle and progressed to the most beautiful sunset after scattered showers. Today, Thursday, brings pumpkin pies and so much leftover bread.
