October Out and About.

We recently visited the Jersey Shore, by accident really. Our fumbly roadtrip had us arriving at Kaya’s Kitchen, Belmar’s down-home vegan eatery, in the awkward span of time between the old lunch lull and prior to the start of the dinner menu–which is unfortunate, as I had my heart set on a ridiculously huge country-fried seitan steak to make right our day of travel. But I got the “fish and chips,” which had the fried I wanted and the promise of the tangy sweetness of a vegan tartar, one of my favorite condiments. And of course, the chips. 

The sandwich was satisfying but I was dreaming of a thick, batter-dipped crispy fried coat. The lightly fried tofu mushed into the soft bun. Luckily, the fresh bite of purple onion improved the texture, as did the sweet relish bites in the minimal smear of tartar. Staving like Marvin, I also got a side of their Mac And (house-made and thank-goodness-it’s-not-Daiya [T.G.I.N.D.]) Cheese, which was creamy and–after self-seasoning–flavorful and delicious.

Did you see that Hunter’s Moon the other night? It was spectacularly huge when it first showed up in the dusky blue sky–a full spread of the compass and seemingly projected, its nooks and crannies vivid. Moons like this are camera-shy. They appear flashlight-y and clumsy behind the lens. This shot was later in the evening when the bright white beamed through the backyard trees. Ah moon, you help explain kookiness.

Over at the local nursery for our porch pumpkins. I’m fascinated by these odd peanut-covered squash, and the fancy-pants artsy fartsy red and grey versions of the beloved pumpkin.

I usually choose pumpkins efficiently-sized for processing later. We got a manageable white pumpkin and a Cinderella. Bibbity bobbity boo!

My last harvest–maybe? Smallish plum tomatoes are sprouting up quickly, full of the autumn sun. And the green bell peppers are finally yielding fruit! I’m hoping the temperatures don’t cut short the many pretty bells looking to plump up. I’m already thinking of what I’ll plant next year, although my Brussels are going to be growing well into the fall.