It's Fall - Officially

Editor's Note: This column was submitted Sept. 24.

Fall arrived with some measurable amounts of rain last week. That doesn't always happen. We'd finished our wheat harvest before this last wetting, plus there's some winter wheat planted, so the rain is making us happy. I have not yet finished harvesting good things from the garden. There are still potatoes and carrots to dig, as well as tomatoes and husk cherries (aka prairie gooseberries) to pick and enjoy.

I've pulled all the moon flower plants, as well as dug out the volunteer sunflower trees. Those things really put down huge roots! And their stems (trunks) are massive. Both of those plants, of course, had already shed lots of seeds all over the place, so I'm sure to have plenty more volunteers next summer. I chucked the large plant carcasses over the electric fence so the critters can find and enjoy all the rest of those seeds. I've been deliberately spreading spent marigolds all over the place. Those seeds can sprout willy-nilly next spring.

Part of the fencing I used to enclose the peas has been taken down. Once the gladiolus bulbs (corms) had been dug there'd been no reason to keep that fence up. I need to get some anti-fungal powder to use on those as well as the dahlia tubers. The tubers are yet to be dug. Six fence posts have been dug out and stored out of the way. There are more posts to go, plus more netting, but the scarlet runner beans are firmly entwined in that netting. The vines grew up and over my enclosure, and will require patience and scissors to remove. But I had lots of peas to enjoy and the birds were foiled, so I'm sure I'll enclose those plants against next summer.

One of the main signs of fall would be the leaves of the trees turning color and falling off the branches. Another sign is the blooming of the chrysanthemums and the fall asters. Yet another sign is the proliferation of flickers (woodpeckers) in the yard. I have all three of those signs happening up here.

Most of my houseplants that enjoyed being outside all summer are gathered up and on the front deck. I really need to winnow them down to a more manageable amount. Some need repotting, some could be split, and all need to be sprayed with a strong insecticide. I'm putting off all of those chores for another week since I don't see any frost in the forecast. I love doing all of that when my fingers are freezing.

I have one new recipe to share this week. It's one I saved from a Facebook group for low-calorie treats. Who doesn't want low(er) calorie brownies? These brownies are lighter and more cake-like than the tried and true recipe I've used for years. With it are a couple low(er) calorie frosting options. For my pan, though, I used powdered erythritol (fake sugar), cacao powder, a bit of butter, vanilla extract, and unsweetened almond milk. I didn't measure any of it. (Dennis won't eat peanut butter, and I didn't have cream cheese at the time.)

Lo-Cal Brownies

1/4 C butter, room temp (OR coconut oil)

3/4 C brown sugar substitute (or regular dark)

1 C (sugar-free) chocolate chips

1/2 C 0% Greek yogurt

1 C unsweetened almond milk

2 large eggs, room temp

1 C flour

3/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

Oven at 350°. Butter a 9x13" pan. In large saucepan, melt butter with brown sugar and chocolate chip, stirring often. Remove from heat. Beat yogurt and milk. Let cool 5 minutes before beating in eggs, one at a time. Add in the rest, mixing just until combined. Smooth into prepared pan. Bake 35-45 minutes. Brownies should pull away from the sides of the pan and resist pressure in the center. Cool 1 hour before frosting.

Lo-al Cream Cheese Frosting: blend together 8 oz low fat cream cheese, 1/4 C 0% Greek yogurt, 1/4 C honey, and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Mix 2-4 minutes until fluffy.

Lo-cal Frosting: blend together 1 C hazelnut butter, 1/2 C lo-cal syrup, 1/2 C cocoa powder, 1/2 C unsweetened almond milk, and 2 tsp vanilla extract. You could add sprinkles on top after frosting the brownies.