equinox pick-up tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the day to get your goodies! What will you get? What wonderful things can you do with them?  Here are some ideas.

Vegetables:

The stars of the last pick-up were the tomatoes, and there are still going to be some of those even though their production is slowing down, but I've included a new exciting type of tomatoes - green ones! As frost starts to threaten (though there's no real sign of it yet) the question on what to do with all those green tomatoes that will never ripen might come up. Or maybe you just accidentally knocked one off it's stem.  Either way green tomatoes tend to be a rare treat that you won't find in most grocery stores.  Don't just pop them in your mouth though! These should be prepared first, you could make relish, pickles, sauce, or even use them as a jam ingredient, but traditionally they should be fried.  I tried to make them once before with mixed results, but they tasted good one I figured out how to get the batter to stick (the recipe I had neglected saying eggs were needed) so I'm looking forward to trying them again this year probably with this recipe.

other vegetables that shall be around are small tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, and squash/pumpkin,

Herbs:

Our lemon balm has been growing strong and should make a bigger appearance this season.  In the kitchen Lemon balm can be used to add a lemon flavor to whatever you want to add some zest to - you can even use it in place of lemon zest! Medicinally it's been known to help with tension and mood issues as well as an aid to digestion, generally as a tea.  Some use it topically for cold sores and bug bites as well.  Magically it has feminine attributes and a connection to honey bees, often used to attract romance though it can be used to ease hurt emotions.  You might also want to add it to your bath to further promote calm.  Drinking a cup of lemon balm tea before magical working can help put you in an open state of mind and relax and tensions you might carry from the outside world.

Other herbs you might find in your bag are tulsi/holy basil, salad brunet, comfrey, sage, yarrow leaves, parsley, thyme, and some Italian herbs such as oregano and rosemary.

Flowers:

Summer flowers are starting to fade, but they zinnias are still around for us to enjoy, along with just the beginnings of fall showing with grasses and other seed heads.  But the big player right now is goldenrod, which although you might think of as a weed can be a great flower and herb as well! Dry
it either for decoration or use as a tea.  You can also make a tincture out of it to take it that way.

Art and Writing:

Thomm's story will be in the share! Entitled balance beam, and as always some what inspired by the illustration I made.  Sadly it doen't look like the actual artwork prints will arrive on time for tomorrow - but don't worry! I'll mail it out to you once it arrives.

Hope to see you tomorrow!
Amber