October and the Garden is Still in Action

Summer is officially over. The leaves are turning, the furnace has already been turned on several times, the airconditioners are out of the windows, the screen door on the porch has been replaced with the storm door, and yet ....the garden vegetables are still coming on strong.  I think someone forgot to tell my garden that Autumn is here.  Between yesterday and today I picked over 3 bushels of tomatoes and Mr. Yesteryear Acres and his dad got an entire mess of green beans.  We have peppers upon peppers and so many eggplant that this weekend might officially be called "Eggplant Extravaganza".  I will be making everyone's favorite -- baked eggplant slices.  It is very similar to the eggplant inside eggplant parmigiana but we bake ours which is much healthier than deep frying and just as yummy.  Our pumpkins are HUGE and are just begging to be Jack O' Lanterns at the end of the month.  We will be harvesting our first brussel sprouts of the season this weekend and I can't wait for that.  I love roasted brussel sprouts! mmmmm!  Today, just because I ADORE Mr. Yesteryear Acres, I made him his very favorite summer meal.  His mommy ALWAYS made it for him so of course he just has to have it or else he might perish.  I made a gigantic stock pot full of fresh green beans, potatoes and ham.  I snipped all the beans earlier this morning and then put the beans and potatoes and ham on the stove to cook all day long.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres likes it when the whole mess is good and soft and squishy.  You might be able to tell by my not so enthusiastic description, that I do not like green bean, ham and potato goop. I do not like it Sam I Am! I do not like mushy green beans and I am not very fond of ham and really don't like it all together but Mr. Yesteryear Acres just LOVES it so I acquiesced and made it for him today.  My menu idea was MUCH better and I was going to make this delicious ground pork, fresh green beans, rice noodle Thai recipe that everyone loves but when I told Mr. Yesteryear Acres, he totally put out his bottom lip and gave me the most pitiful pouty face. He said he had not had his favorite summer dish yet and summer was over and he has been waiting ALLLLLLL summer long for his green bean, ham and potato feast.  See?  I mean it was a REALLY good face.  I picked out a normal size stock pot (12 quarts) and Mr. Yesteryear Acres just shook his head "NO" because that would NEVER be enough.  I had to dig out the really big stock pot and fill it all the way up.  So much for my green beans.  Alas, I think I will eat popcorn for dinner tonight after I just watch the boys drool and ooooh and ahhhhh over their very hearty mushy meal.  You should have just seen their happy faces all day today.  I guess I underestimated the power of green bean gunk.  I will just have to make it more often....you know...like maybe two times instead of once.  I mean right there - I have already doubled the amount from this year!  I am such a good wife!!!!!