First Frost

I returned home mid-afternoon to a beautifully clear September day. It's always exhilarating to get back to the Vermont landscape after a visit to NYC, even though I love seeing my family and friends and art. I immediately went out to the garden to see if there had been rain or frost during my days away. No rain, but a frost had occurred: not hard enough to have killed the green bean plants, but enough for the basil, in the photo above, and the zucchini which is on the cold side of the garden. The ice crystals formed by frost bursts the cell walls of the plants and kills the leaves. It's a sad time when I see this damage because it is a clear declaration of the end of summer and another step towards winter. But at the same time, I celebrate the harvest and the natural movement of the seasons. I picked 3 zucchini from the now dead plant and now I'm ready to move on to cold weather crops such as kale, turnips, brussels sprouts and winter squash.

So as not to leave you with only a photo about the end of the growing season, here's one of the honeysuckle vine by the front door, which has not stopped blooming all summer, and is still cheerfully flowering.