Garden thoughts, plans, and daydreams are captured here while sipping a cup of coffee and enjoying some type of food that is probably not good for me.
The right way to garden is your way! You have to do what works best for you. Yes, read the gardening books and blogs. Yes, watch the YouTube gardening videos. Yes, Watch the cable gardening shows. Yes, talk to other gardeners. But in the end the right way to garden is what works for you!
This past weekend I had the pleasure of once again eating at one of my favorite Restaurants in our area. I have been going to the Catfish Hole for over 30 years. My family has celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, and have gone there just to be together for a family night. I bring up the Catfish Hole because they do things right. The food is good and has maintained a standard of quality over the years. And of course, that is the first reason we go there. But, they also have the best customer service of any restaurant I have ever been to. Your drink is never empty. And although fried catfish is the main feature of the meal, and it comes with fries or a baked potato, the staff continues to keep the table supplied with hush puppies, Cole slaw, pickle spears, and my favorite, green tomato relish.
The meal is delivered to the table quickly. The servers are friendly and professional. They have several employees that are below the age of 25. Millennials often get a bad rap for being lazy, etc. but not this bunch. They work hard making sure their customers are served well. One of the waiters was kind enough to take a picture of our group this past weekend as we celebrated a birthday.
I’m not being paid for giving Catfish Hole a raving review, I bring it up because I have noticed it and over the years the dining experience as I have described it has been consistent. They have found a method that works for them in the restaurant business. They have continued to fine tune their policies and procedures and have become very successful.
When I first started eating at Catfish Hole, they were positioned in an old house which was converted to a restaurant. It was located near Alms, AR on highway 71 that runs between Alma and Fayetteville, an hour’s drive north. Today there are two locations, a new home location was built in the town of Alma and there is a location near me in Fayetteville. It is a feat to provide quality food and excellent service at one location, but both locations are of the same high standard.
When I discover quality and success in any field of endeavor, I want to spread the news. It also inspires me to work toward quality and success in my life and what I am currently pursuing. At this time of year, I reflect on the past season and make plans for next year. I try to include the lessons I have learned in moving toward a more productive harvest next summer. If you’d like to read about my successes and failures of the past two gardening seasons, check out these blogs. Click here for successes. Click here for failures.
It is Fall gardening time. I currently have kale, radishes, swiss chard, and two types of turnips growing in different beds. The last of the peppers, both sweet and hot are ripening. The Texas Hill Country okra is still blooming and creating new pods. I continue to trim herbs, rosemary, lemon thyme, English thyme, Basil, Purple Basil, Oregano, Marjoram, and Sage. I’ve been giving gift bags of herbs to family and friends. I’m also preparing some for drying to use during the winter.
Normally at this time, I would be getting prepared for the first frost. Our average first frost is around Oct. 15, today is Oct. 11 but it looks like the first frost will not arrive until November this year. The forecast for the next 10 days shows night time lows in the 40s and 50s with only one night dipping to 40. After the first frost kills the pepper plants, I will be planting garlic in its place. It doesn’t get cold enough for long enough in this area (Zone 7b) for the ground to freeze hard so garlic can be planted later than in some locations.
Remember gardening is a learning process. It doesn’t all happen over night or in one season. Reflect on this past season, what do you want to change for next year. What has worked well for you? What new things do you want to try? The right way to garden is what is right for you. Good luck for an even more successful gardening season next year!
Snickerdoodles
The cookies on the plate above are Snickerdoodles. These are one of my favorite types of cookies. I love the cinnamon sugar on the outside. These are from my favorite bakery, Rick’s, in Fayetteville, AR. I have added a link below to several recipes from the Taste of Home website. If you aren’t near Rick’s, or have a bakery near you that makes Snickerdoodles, the recipes will provide a way for you to enjoy these favorites!
Click here for 12 Snickerdoodle Recipes You Need In Your Collection.