Garden correspondent JeffG166:
I had a squash plant come up in the compost pile. I had no idea what it was. Turned out to be a butternut squash. They are more orange than tan. No idea if it crossed with a pumpkin. No idea what it will taste like.
Master gardener & Indiana streetscape recorder Satby:
After a dry summer that visibly stressed trees, we got some late rain before a near frost and the maples exploded with color.
The streets of South Bend have mostly red or sugar maples in the parkways. Along the river is a mix of maple, oak, some river birch, and larches. Thought everyone would enjoy the colors from just a stroll nearby my house.
The playground across the river, with oaks and larch trees glowing shades of gold.
A brilliant maple along the river with (I think) a river birch turning gold behind.
***********
Apart from election signage…
What’s going on in your garden(s), this week?
Jeffg166
You have better fall color than the Philadelphia region. Last great year for color was about 14 years ago. I have come to the conclusion it is the extended heatwaves that mute the color.
I roasted and ate one of the butternut squash. It was sweet. No idea why they are orange.
kalakal
Those autumn colours are glorious. Thanks so much for the photos, here in Fl, fall just doesn’t happen, so it’s a treat to see those lovely pictures.
Still clearing up after Milton here. Garden is a mess but will recover
satby
@Jeffg166: Pumpkin and butternut were crossed and sold commercially as a hybrid called (IIRC) Nutkins some years ago. I loved them but haven’t seen any lately. The bumpy heirlooms are more popular in this area; I was told the bumps are actually from high sugar but people think they make especially scary jack-o-lanterns. I’m going to cook one this year and see.
Though we had high heat waves and sparse rain this year, in between the weather was cooler than normal and there were a few good soaking rains. I don’t know if that’s the magic combo, but the color all around this year is striking. Best I remember in years.
satby
@kalakal: Glad to hear the garden will recover and that the cleanup is going ok.The area that my sister’s (late mom’s) condo is in wasn’t badly damaged so massive bullet dodged again. But it’s finally convinced my sister to talk to my nieces and nephews about selling it and I’m relieved for the kids sake.
rikyrah
Good Morning, Everyone😊😊😊
Baud
@rikyrah:
Good morning.
divF
Your butternut squash looks lovely.
A house specialty for holiday dinner soup is made of roasted and pureed butternut squash, chicken stock, cream, and seasonings. The fans love it.
ETA: good morning, rikyrah. Being in California, I am rarely up at this hour, so I want to make the most of it by greeting you.
kalakal
@satby: glad to hear they’re ok. We have a year or so until I retire and we are very seriously thinking about leaving. It was very scary and we were very lucky. No damage to the house but tree removal has cost $4,000 ( and that was a good price*) . At some point Fl is going to be uninsurable.
*We had 3 large palms removed and I took down 3 smaller trees myself that were leaning at 45 degrees, a friend had to pay $8,000 to clear a huge live oak that came down
satby
@rikyrah: Good morning! Are the colors good by you too? Chicago’s autumn is looking pretty colorful from the pictures I’ve seen online.
sab
The trees on the devil’s strip are red maples and are absolutely gorgeous this week. Most years they are red but this year more incandescent orange blaze.
My new actual yard is solid clay. I am putting in a tiny flower patch in the back today. Topsoil and daffodil bulbs. But one of the points of us moving was no more yardwork. So I will restrain myself.
My new to me kitties have settled in. Big boy is coming upstairs a lot more. We hear him thumping when he jumps off counters at night. He drinks from the two communal water buckets. His sister sleeps under my bed upstairs in the daytime and crawls into bed with me at night. She is wary of the pitbull but not actually frightened. She must have noticed the other cats nuzzling up to the dog. We have eight cat trees. That is nuts, well beyond crazy cat people. And every cat tree is occupied at some point every day.
satby
@kalakal: The insurance issue has finally got my sister to think about loosening her death grip on my mom’s condo. She’s well fixed without it as an investment, but my other sister’s kids inherited her share (they bought me out after my mom’s death) and those kids can’t afford to ride that condo down to zero value.
Tbf to my sister, her attachment is sentimental, she was closest to my mom and her primary caregiver at the end. Still, I hope they sell it within the year, before it loses value.
satby
@sab: It’s going well then. I need to get another cat tree, I only have two!
sab
@satby: My stepdaughter does insurance adjustment for catastrophes in the Southeast US. Her company is based in the Midwest. Y’all need to disinvest from Florida real estate if it is anywhere near a coast.
sab
@satby: My next project is to get an internet accesible camera. Solomon is gorgeous and Echo is a shy sweetie. Dobby is in awe of Solomon’s hugeness, but they seem to be pals.
satby
@sab: My mother wanted it sold after her death and the proceeds distributed; my youngest sister (some may remember) had her sign a codicil to her will and trust to displace me as trustee because I would have sold it. [My other sister was already in a nursing home with late stage MS.] It was a stressful time and my sister’s grief was profound, so I just had them buy me out rather than go into a huge fight that would destroy all civil relations with her. Now it’s been 8 years, and it’s not really panned out as a rental investment while my sister has also moved on from her immediate grief. I’m just glad she’s finally getting there.
kalakal
@sab: There’s going to be a huge problem for all those with property in the evac zones, which includes a lot of really expensive housing. All those multimillion beach front mansions are potentially toast. There’ll be a split between properties in flooding & non-flooding zones. At 70ft up my concern is wind not water but despite the politics it will break my heart to leave. Fl has some absolutely beautiful landscapes, flora, and fauna
Rusty
New Hampshire has had a glorious year for the foliage, the reds this year were particularly intense. We are past peak but there are still stunning individual trees that late turning and we should have another week or two of color.
Maxim
Somewhat off topic, but not entirely:
In a couple of years, it’ll be retirement time. I’m in the desert in California, where the heat is unpleasant to unbearable for more than half the year. The places in California where I would like to live are unaffordable.
So moving it is. I know nowhere is safe, climate-wise, but some places are obviously less bad than others. Chicago is on the list because one of my brothers lives there, but I’m also open to increasing the blue population of a red state like Ohio or Indiana.
What I want in particular is a walkable neighborhood that has both destinations (shops, restaurants, etc.) and trees. I presently don’t own a car and would like to get by without one as much as possible, but I gotta have trees. Not necessarily in my own yard — I don’t even necessarily need a yard — but in my neighborhood. Generally, it’s easier to find trees in suburbs or residential-only neighborhoods as opposed to mixed-use areas.
Do any of you fine folk live in or know of such a location? TIA.
schrodingers_cat
@sab: Use your phone 📱
mrmoshpotato
@Jeffg166:
But it will be a pain in the ass to peel! :)
Geo Wilcox
Our maples, sassafras and dogwoods are amazing this year. Our neighbor has a pink dogwood that produces the most beautiful pink flowers. Usually its fall color is meh but this year the leaves are the same color as the flowers and GORGEOUS!!! The leaves are lasting longer than the flowers so it is a real treat to see it.
Rusty
@kalakal: My understanding is that after the collapse of that condo in Miami, they passed a law to force condos to address deferred maintenance. It comes into effect soon and owners are trying to dump places before they get hit with huge assessments for repairs.
HinTN
@Maxim: Huntsville, Alabama, has some very leafy and walkable neighborhoods. Chattanooga, Tennessee, is also an excellent option. Neither has exceptional mass transit but you can probably make do if you land in the right area.
zhena gogolia
We’ve had a fabulous October. More like half yellow, half red. Incredible blue sky.
Downside: no rain, so bad fires, which is not characteristic of CT.
satby
@Maxim: South Bend is ok, a blue dot in an infuriating red state, but if I had the option I would move to St. Joseph MI.
It’s on Lake Michigan but has affordable housing stock not far from it, has walkable neighborhoods (in the city proper) and the tax base from the million $ homes on the lake offer good amenities. There’s an Amtrak station and bus service (don’t know much about that). Blue state, lots of summer events and activities. Winter can get cold, but the proximity to the lake moderates that and increases both rain and snowfall. I’m not at all a hot weather, desert person though, and you might find the winters too much.
Mr Longform
@Maxim: Satby’s South Bend fits many of your criteria. Some nice walking and biking trails and beautiful neighborhoods near downtown. Housing is affordable (unless you get too close to Notre Dame) and it’s an easy train trip or drive to Chicago
Ken
The squash photo reminds me, we’re due to get the annual videos of zoo animals enjoying their Halloween pumpkins. Those are always cute.
satby
@Maxim: Of course, if you have the money, Chicago would be my first choice. It has everything you need, great transportation so lots of city residents don’t own cars. Compared to CA, it’s affordable, but it is expensive compared to the rest of the Midwest. And neighborhoods like my old one (Beverly) offer walkability, trees and parks, libraries and local stores, lower cost living compared to dowtown. I’m almost looking forward to being so old I have to move back in with my son and daughter-in-law.
JPL
Sometimes GA can get beautiful fall colors, but this year it is more of a die and drop. My yard is covered with leafs this morning.
Kamala has a real chance to win the state again. Why else would dark money be running so many negative ads. Earlier when I counted, it was 4 negative ads, to one anti trump ad.
JPL
dup
Marleedog
I guess that the consensus is that the foliage this year has been great. Maine was the best in many years over the
Columbus DayIndigenous American day weeekend.Fall colors are always much more muted along the Mid-Atlantic-one of the things I miss about New England-but it even here it is turning into a pretty good year.
I am so ready for the time change, I hate getting up in the pitch black dark. If Kamala ran on the platform of abolishing DST she would win the greatest victory ever.
paranoid android
I just found out I suffer from “squash hands”, a strange allergic/sensitive skin reaction to touching peeled squash. The skin turns red and dry and flakes off a little for 1-2 days after contact. Very annoying but common enough to have an online nickname, apparently.
Orange is the New Red
@Maxim: Our solution was to retire in the Shenandoah Valley of VA, living with a tiny yard but an easy walk to a gorgeous park. Affordable housing, delightful people in town (blue dot in a red sea). Has all 4 seasons.
narya
@Maxim: I do–I live in Chicago, a half a block from the lake. Although I have a driver’s license, I’ve never owned a car. There are multiple parks within walking distance, trees outside my window, and did I mention the lake? I don’t know your budget–feel free to have WaterGirl put us in touch via email–and I’d be happy to talk more. I’ll also note that there are grocery, drug, and hardware stores within a few blocks, and I actually get my farm share delivered, though there are farmers’ markets as well. My neighborhood has a LOT of old condo buildings; it used to be where rich people summered. I purposely chose a condo because I didn’t want to deal with things like the roof, the yard, the boiler, etc. There are also single-family homes, though those are obviously more expensive
ETA: great public transportation, too, so I can get downtown in 45 minutes without having to drive/park.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
Butternuts are wonderful. But they are a pain in the neck to peel.
I am the designated butternut peeler and roaster in our family. I keep buying them and cooking them only because my wife loves them, and I love her. I love them too, but I wouldn’t take the trouble just for myself.
And reading back I see that the same point was made at #20
narya
@Ceci n est pas mon nym: @mrmoshpotato: Microwave the squash for two minutes or so and they will peel MUCH more easily! Poke them a few times, and be careful because they get hot, but it is SOOO much easier. Also: I use a melon-baller to scoop out the seeds.
Another Scott
@Maxim: I spent some summer vacation days around Ann Arbor, MI in the 1980s. It was wonderful. Sounds like it might be worth considering.
Good luck!
Cheers,
Scott.
TerryC
Gorgeous fall colors this year! We are busying locating and either marking for preservation and nurturing, or for transplanting and then nurturing, all sorts of baby trees right now: oaks, catalpa, redbud, mulberry, persimmon, and more. I just scooped up a tractor-shovel full of baby redbuds and moved them about 1/4 mile away.
My new goal is to have growing in my yard every native Michigan tree. Starting the list today.
I also discovered that in addition to Eastern Cottonwood I have Aspen on my property! I had two of these slim white trunks and one died and then this month I discovered dozens of tiny little shoots in a wide ranging pattern up to 100′ from the remaining tree. It’s growing itself a network! I am identifying the shoots and mulching, then fertilizing them. I am so excited because eventually two of my BRATS disc golf course holes (Red Course, Holes 11 and 12) will be surrounded and lined with beautiful white Aspen trunks!
Another Scott
@Maxim: One more thing to consider – college towns. My step-mom moved back to her hometown of Starkeville, MS after my dad died. It’s a college town and has some industry and seems to be doing reasonably well. I couldn’t live there, but there are (quasi) sensible islands like that in nearly every state all over the country (if you can tolerate the other issues).
Good luck!
Cheers,
Scott.
Torrey
Butternut squash is my favorite! It’s sweet without requiring added sugar or sweetener. Here’s my favorite recipe (because I’m lazy) from the Wyse Guide YouTube channel. No peeling required. He’s’ got some other recipes for butternut squash and a whole bunch of other things on his YouTube Channel.
ETA: he also does lots of garden videos, for them as enjoys watching other people work. (That would be me.) As well, I assume, as for them as are looking for tips and ideas for their own gardens. (Which is sometimes me as well.)
kalakal
@Rusty: That’s also true. Either of the deferred maintenance issue or the increasing vulnerability of property to storms would be a terrible problem. Combined they’re catastrophic. And I whine about having to get a Queen palm out of my swimming pool..
JAM
@Jeffg166: The vegetables you don’t have to plant are always the sweetest.
We are still having warm temperatures here amd there’s not much fall color yet except for the sumacs.
Wilson Heath
Had a Tahitian squash volunteer from the pile one year—if you don’t know, they’re like an 18 wheeler next to a butternut’s Ford Ranger. 12-15 lbs squash was average, and lots of them. Plant took over a large swath of the yard. Had to try to find ways to use it.
Hoosierspud
@satby: South Bend is also my hometown, but I left in the mid ’80s.
Shana
Jeff: we had a tribute squash come up out of compost a couple of years ago. Sorry to report they were almost tasteless. Hope you have better luck.
satby
@narya: or, for all squash, just cut them in half and roast them in the oven after scooping out the seeds, and then use the cooked squash for whatever you intended. Way easy. For cubed squash, slightly undercook and then cube and peel it in chunks by cutting the cubes off the softened peel.
satby
@Hoosierspud: Not my first choice, but a move after my own personal storm disaster because it was cheap and I had 10 rescue animals that were mostly older. I figured I would be here 10 years before moving again. It’s turned out ok, but I hate living in a red state and will leave eventually.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
@satby: We started this thing of roasting veggies with olive oil during lockdown. The combination of the roasting and the EVOO add an amazing flavor. There is in fact a butternut that’s been sitting on the counter for 2 weeks that I’ve been working up to cutting.
I think I’ll try the microwave trick so they still get plenty of roasting time.
Glidwrith
@Maxim: Southern Oregon, the Rogue Valley. If you can deal with rednecks, it’s a major retirement area and the medical resources are top notch. Ashland is anchored by a university, with the prosperity decreasing the further you go up the valley, but trees, fish and hiking are easily had.
Fire and heat are a problem but where isn’t?
Glidwrith
@Glidwrith: Reading upthread, don’t know what the public transport system is like. It was crap when I lived there 40 years ago, so who knows.
There are a couple of Juicers that do currently live in the area, but I don’t recall their ‘nyms.
mvr
In my experience Butternut squash make better pumpkin pies than pumpkins. They are similar in taste but more flavorful, in general. There are small sugar pumpkins that also make good pies but in stores it is hard to be sure that the small pumpkin you are buying is one of those. I used to grow them myself, but around here we have four (4!) different bugs that prey on squash plants. We can’t even seem to bring Zucchini to maturity and most people have the opposite problem.
FWIW, since as usual I’m late to the thread.
mvr
@mrmoshpotato: Potato peelers work well for me. But so does halving and roasting and then scooping them out.
JAFD
@Maxim: Some of the places you have in mind are the ‘streetcar suburbs’ – areas that were built-up before WWII and multi-car families – David Brooks talks about growing up in Wayne, Pa, in Bobos in Paradise. Problems are that buildings are reaching the century mark or more, needing repairs, and property prices likely to have boomed with their core cities.
There are a lot of walkable ‘college towns’, in Pennsylvania, Ohio and nearby. Cloud on horizon is shrinking number of 18 year olds – if ‘the college’ is forced to cut back or close, town’s likely worse off than if ‘the factory’ shuts down.
If I was still working in real estate, would tell you more, but retired a decade now.
Maxim
Sorry for the late reply — I had to go offline for a few hours. Many thanks to everyone who responded.
Hoosierspud
@satby: growing up there in the 60’s and 70’s, it was so blue that the Republicans had trouble recruiting candidates to fill the ballot. It was a lot more industrial and union heavy at that time.
Don
Thank you for the pictures. I miss New England every autumn. The drive from northern Minn around Lake Superior to Thunder Bay is spectacular. I have memories, which I need here in Central Texas, which in the fall, sucks. No color. And no rain.