By Wenda Grabau
The warm, pleasant days of this October – as a Minnesotan would consider them – have allowed us to work outdoors in relative comfort. It is a great time to work and actually witness the work God has been doing all spring and summer!
Many neighbors are harvesting corn and beans. We pick corn on the ear. There are several corn cribs to fill up on our farm. We expect the corn to fill all of the cribs and more.
We cleaned up the garden. We piled this winter’s firewood in our wood room. So we are ready for the cold to come.
Food preparation is a hangover from all of the garden’s busyness. I froze our pumpkins for pie filling. Of course, I had to bake a pie to try it out. Yum!
With the comfortable weather, I found myself checking to see if the berries survived a recent frost. They did! So I got busy berry picking. Thorns on the canes made their presence known as I lifted them and picked the plump, red berries. While I searched and located the ripe fruits, it occurred to me that the Lord must really enjoy creating all the food He makes available.
It is a picturesque sight to see dozens of berries on just one bush. It is delicious, too, after we clean and sweeten them to adorn our morning cereal, our lunchtime pudding, or to place into a luscious pie.
While I filled up my berry pail, the sounds of the day caught my attention. They included the rumble of the tractor doing its work in the corn field and a rooster crowing. Our rooster piped up with his declaration of headship in the chicken coop. This rooster has behaved himself over the year. He is the master of our flock of hens. It is because of his good behavior that he did not make the cut when we butchered our younger roosters. He will be around for a while.
The sights and sounds in the fall can bring thoughts of our creator. When taking a ride down the road, notice the many fields with tall cornstalks pointing to heaven. Is it not a marvel that such a tall plant can come from such a small seed? It is a marvelous thing to see the growth that comes from the hand of our creative Lord.
Or consider the bean fields that farmers clean off with so much skill as they harvest. The cleared land has produced a crop and is ready for its rest. All of the work that the farmers do reminds me of the Bible verse, Genesis 2:28: “Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.’” While God gives man the privilege of procreation, He also gives us the gift of work and of the ability to live with and by the fruit of our labors.
Enjoy the fall season and remember the One who made it.
Chocolate Nut Toffee
1 cup sugar
1 cup Land O’ Lakes Sweet cream butter
6-ounce package of chocolate chips
¼ cup chopped walnuts
In a 2-quart sauce pan, combine sugar and butter. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until small amount of mixture dropped into ice water forms brittle strands or candy thermometer reaches 300° F (25 to 30 minutes). Spread on waxed paper lined 15×10 inch jelly roll pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips over hot candy; let stand 5 minutes. Spread melted chocolate evenly over candy; sprinkle with nuts. Cool completely; break into pieces. Yield: 1 ¼ pounds.
Recipe credit: Land O’ Lakes Country Heritage Cookbook
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