Summer’s Swan Song - Country Cousin

Summer is gone. School is started. September is here. One night the furnace even kicked in.
However, after a few wonderful crisp days with Autumn in the air, muggy Summer seems to be back, but it won’t last long. A few leaves are changing color, Halloween decorations are coming out of storage, and the official start of autumn is fast approaching.
Labor Day has gone by for another year, but didn’t want to wait until 2024 to pass along this quote from Thomas Edison: Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
DAY OF INFAMY, SEPT. 11, 2001
Patriot Day is coming up on Monday, Sept. 11, sad remembrance of those who lost their lives in the  2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York Cit,  the Pentagon in Virginia and on the hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 that crashed in Pennsylvania after heroes aboard prevented it from causing the death and destruction that the hijackers intended.
There is also a Patriots’ Day, which is celebrated in some states on or about  the third Monday in April. This day was established to honor Revolutionary War heroes. Six states observe this day, including Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Maine, Florida, Wisconsin, Connecticut and North Dakota. Public schools are supposed to observe the day  by teaching about the first shots of the Revolutionary War in Massachusetts.
Patriots' Day was first celebrated in Massachusetts in 1894, proclaimed by Gov. Frederic Greenhalge as a compromise between competing efforts by the towns of Lexington and Concord to mark the day with their own names.

SWAN SONG
Recently read a cute little ditty about Summer’s Swan Song - the coming of Autumn and what we are in for. Goes like this:
“Soon the little leaves heard the wind’s loud call and started tumbling, one and all.
“Over brown meadows they danced and flew, singing a little happy song they all knew.
“Dancing and whirling the little leaves went, winter had called them and they were content.
“Soon fast asleep in their earthly beds, snow for a coverlet over their heads.”
Before all those leaves go to sleep for the winter, let’s get out there and enjoy the spectacular beauty Marinette County offers in Autumn.

THE ROADS LEAST TRAVELED
Folks who live in TIMESland know we don’t have to go to New England to enjoy some spectacular Autumn colors.
Visit Marinette County’s Thunder Mountain Overlook to take in the awesome views. On a clear day you can see the sparkling waters of Green Bay, even though you’re in mid-Marinette County west of Crivitz off Parkway Road. In fact, this is a great time to visit any of Marinette County’s incredibly beautiful parks.
Wisconsin has a list of Rustic Roads that are well worth traveling, especially once the leaves really start showing color. Several are located in TIMESland. Plan now, so you can take full advantage of fall color tour weekends in Wisconsin.
There are lots of beautiful drives here in TIMESLand that are not on the official Wisconsin fall color list, but maybe they should be. One of those is Old J off County C in Silver Cliff that travels over hill and dale through marvelous maple forests where lots of sap is drawn in spring for syrup making.
For a really great 37-mile drive on an authentic state certified Rustic Road, take Parkway Road from County W north to County C, then on County I (formerly Parkway Road) to US 8 in Goodman. Turn off on Goodman Park Road and stop at the park to see the waterfalls there in all their glory. This route, partly paved but mostly gravel, is Wisconsin’s longest rustic road. It runs past the entrance to Gov. Thompson State Park, and entrances to several county parks as well as the Peshtigo River State Forest. It passes through uninterrupted miles of hardwood and conifer forests, granite outcroppings, and  offers vistas of the Thunder and Peshtigo rivers and the High Falls and Caldron Falls flowages.
The stretch of County I between Silver Cliff and Goodman Park Road passes through what we used to call the Golden Cathedral, where gilded leaves met in a long and awesome arch over several miles the winding road, back when it was Parkway Road. Some of the trees have been cut back now in the interest of making snow and ice removal easier, and that’s a shame. But it’s still a glorious drive, especially on a golden Autumn day. You’re also likely to see a multitude of wildlife, from deer to raccoons to bears and maybe if you’re lucky, a bobcat or wolf. It can happen. They do live there.
For a shorter drive,  Sweetheart City and Creek roads in the Town of Middle Inlet east of Hwy. 141 form a 5-mile loop off County X. The curved and hilly route, partly paved and partly gravel, passes through many wooded areas that often form a scenic canopy over the road.
On the east end of Lake Noquebay, take Right of Way Road from Sumac Lane/Pioneer Road north and east to County X. A second branch of Right of Way Road extends southeast to the Porterfield/Lake town line at Panske Road. This paved scenic 6.5 mile route once was part of the Wisconsin-Michigan Railroad, hence the name of the road. It crosses two creeks and runs adjacent to the Lake Noquebay State Wildlife Area and through Marinette County Forest land.
For a different sort of Autumn Drive, through what some call the Wisconsin Everglades, take a 2.3 mile tour on North Park Avenue Road, beginning at County S in the City of Oconto and ending at Maple School Grove Road in the Town of Little River. In the right seasons, you’ll  see majestic cattails that line both sides of the road, as well as blue flag iris, swamp milkweed, marsh fern and lowland grasses. In the middle of the route, trees lining the road form a graceful canopy that arches overhead. There’s also a century farmstead visible from the road.
Or go west to Old 32 Road, between County W and County F in Oconto County near Mountain. This  9.4 mile drive is all paved. It passes through the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest where beautiful wooded vistas teem with wildlife and birds. A complementary feature is the Mountain Fire Lookout Tower. Built in 1934, it is the only fire tower still standing in the area, and if you’re brave and energetic, you can still climb to the top and enjoy the view.
A bit father, and you could take Hwy. C west from Silver Cliff or Hwy. 32 north from Carter and get to a great 26.3 mile drive through parts of Forest County, beginning at the intersection of Hwy. 32 and County C, and following a loop that takes Indian Market, Kuffner, Camp 1 and Bay Shore roads and ends up back at County C at Wabeno. The route  is a prime destination to view wildlife and fall colors since it’s heavily wooded with maples, oaks, pines and poplars.

GROWIN’ THINGS
The weather is fine right now, but this is Wisconsin, after all, so we could be steaming at 80 degrees one day and wiping the frost off our pumpkins the next. Heck, that could even happen in the same day.
Watch the weather, and if it feels like frost, pick your green tomatoes and get them indoors. If you have a place to hang them, pull up some plants, roots and all, and hang them upside down inside, preferably in the basement. We picked fresh vine ripened tomatoes until December by doing this.
Warm outside or not, it’s time to start moving houseplants back inside, or at least getting ready to do that. If they’re planted in the ground, transplant the ones you want to save into into planters. That way you can leave them outside as long as it stays nice and they don’t have the double shock of being transplanted and moved from outdoors to indoors at the same time. But have a spot ready inside, in case moving in becomes an emergency.
This is a good time of year to divide and transplant outdoor perennials.
Leave your Brussels Sprouts where they are as long as you can. Ditto for parsnips. Both taste better harvested after the first frost. If the snow covers them, brush it off.
Take root cuttings from annuals, such as begonias, geraniums, and impatiens and the like before the frost gets them. Put the cuttings to root in water, and then plant in containers. Keep them in a sunny place indoors and you’ll have their cheery blossoms all winter and plants that are ready for yard duty in spring, no charge.

CHORE TIME
If you’re still among those who are forced to interchange window screens and storm windows at the proper seasons, make life easier for yourself. Get a permanent magic marker and number each window with the screen and storm window that fit it. No questions about where each goes when it’s time to switch them out again.

COOKIN’ TIME
Gardens and farm fields all around us are still yielding their delicious harvests. Take advantage by cooking up some treats made from truly fresh locally grown vegetables.

EGYPTIAN STUFFED GREEN PEPPERS
An old landlord, Ed, in Appleton more than 50 years ago was an excellent cook who was originally from Armenia. As a young bride, I foolishly did not learn as much from him as I could have, but one of his favorite dishes was stuffed grape leaves. His recipe included mint, grape leaves and tomatoes, but in the Middle East many vegetables—including green peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplant—are prepared this way as well. This recipe is quite similar to his for grape leaves. Once you've tried the peppers, you'll think up dozens of other ways to use this versatile stuffing. It's delicious vegetarian, too—simply omit the ground meat.
6 medium-sized green peppers
4 large onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup olive oil, divided
2 1⁄2 cups long-grain rice
1 1⁄2 cups ground beef, venison or lamb
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1⁄2 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon allspice (optional)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
6 tomato slices
1⁄2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Wash the peppers and remove the lids and stems. Core them with an apple corer or paring knife and remove all seeds. In 1/2 cup of olive oil, sauté the onions and minced garlic over medium heat until translucent. Add the rice and ground meat and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the salt and pepper. Cover the mixture with water (about twice the depth of the other ingredients in the pot) and simmer until the water is absorbed. Add the mint, allspice, and lemon juice. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Once the stuffing has cooled, stuff each pepper loosely. (The rice will swell during cooking.) Cover the open end of each pepper with a tomato slice, and set the peppers in a single layer in a large pan. Sprinkle with salt, drizzle with the other half cup of olive oil, and pour about 1 cup of water over them. Simmer very slowly until peppers are just tender. Remove peppers from pan, and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve cool. Instead of stuffing green peppers, Ed folded this filling in fresh grape leaves, poured on a mixture of olive oil, water and tomato juice, and steamed them long and slowly, which we can do very nicely today in a slo cooker.

BAKED OATMEAL BROWNIES
This is a great fall-back to count on when there’s no time to cook breakfast. If you want to really ramp up the nutrients of this grab and go breakfast, substitute a high-protein drink for the milk or almond milk in this recipe. Pumpkin puree instead of banana makes a slightly less sweet brownie, and maybe more nutritious. Kids will always eat bananas plain anyway.
Non-stick cooking spray
2 very ripe medium bananas (1 cup) or 1 cup pumpkin puree
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
 1 tablespoon espresso powder or instant coffee powder (optional)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk or regular milk
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter or almond butter
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
Flaky sea salt, for serving (optional)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat an 8x8-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Set it aside. Mash the bananas: Mash the bananas with a fork in a large bowl. You should have about 1 cup.  Add the oats, cocoa powder, chia seeds, espresso powder, if using, baking powder, and salt, and stir the mixture with a rubber spatula to combine. Add the almond milk, peanut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla, and stir to combine.  Stir in half of the chocolate. Scrape the mixture into the prepared baking pan, spread it out evenly, and top with the remaining chocolate. Bake until the oatmeal is puffed, set, and the edges start to pull away from the baking pan, 30 to 35 minutes.  Let cool for 10 minutes on your kitchen counter. Top with flaky sea salt, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature. The oatmeal will be very creamy and scoopable when warm. As it cools, it will become firmer and sliceable. How you enjoy it is entirely up to you!

TOMATO ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE
This simple zucchini tomato casserole highlights the flavor of these favorite summer vegetables. It goes great with grilled meats or poultry.
1 ½ cups grated Cheddar cheese
⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
2 medium zucchinis, thinly sliced
5 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
3/4 cup fine bread crumbs
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly butter a 9x9-inch pan. Combine Cheddar, Parmesan, garlic, oregano, and basil in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside. Arrange 1/2 of the zucchini slices in the pan. Sprinkle 1/4 of the cheese and herb mixture on top. Arrange 1/2 of the tomatoes and top with another 1/4 of the cheese mixture. Repeat layers. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in onions and cook until soft and translucent. Stir in bread crumbs; cook until they have absorbed the butter. Sprinkle on top of casserole.  Cover loosely with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake until the top is crusty and vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

BREAKFAST BROWNIES
This is a great fall-back treat to count on when there’s no time to cook breakfast. If you want to really ramp up the nutrients of this grab and go breakfast treat, substitute a high-protein drink for the milk or almond milk in this recipe. Pumpkin puree instead of banana makes a slightly less sweet brownie, and maybe more nutritious. Kids will always eat bananas plain anyway.
Non-stick cooking spray
2 very ripe medium bananas (1 cup) or 1 cup pumpkin puree
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
 1 tablespoon espresso powder or instant coffee powder (optional)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk or regular milk
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter or almond butter
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
Flaky sea salt, for serving (optional)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat an 8x8-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Set it aside. Mash the bananas with a fork in a large bowl. You should have about 1 cup.  Or measure the pumpkin puree into the bowl. Add the oats, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir the mixture with a rubber spatula to combine. Add the milk, peanut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla, and stir to combine.  Stir in half of the chocolate chips. Scrape the mixture into the prepared baking pan, spread it out evenly, and top with the remaining chocolate chips. Bake until the oatmeal is puffed, set, and the edges start to pull away from the baking pan, 30 to 35 minutes.  Let cool for 10 minutes on your kitchen counter. Top with flaky sea salt, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature. The oatmeal will be very creamy and scoopable when warm. As it cools, it will become firmer and sliceable. How you enjoy it is entirely up to you!
Thought for the week: Came across this wish some time ago, and want to share it again with the many parents and grandparents who are a bit lonely because their kids have gone off to school or ventured into new lives in distant cities. Also applies to kids who wish it for their retiring parents, and for those of us with loved ones suffering with illnesses from which they will likely not recover: “My prayer for you is that this life becomes all that you want it to be. Your dreams stay big and your worries stay small. You never need to carry more than you can hold. You find comfort when you need it. And while you’re out there getting where you need to go, always know that somebody loves you and holds you close in their heart.” 

(This column is written by Shirley Prudhomme of Crivitz. Views expressed are her own and are in no way intended to be an official statement of the opinions of Peshtigo Times editors and publishers. She may be contacted by phone at 715-291-9002 or by e-mail to shirleyprudhommechickadee@yahoo.com.)