Country Woman October/November 2019

My too-small garden does not allow space for growing pumpkins. To do so would mean giving up potatoes, strawberries or peppers. But I wish my little square of soil didn’t make me choose. I love the look of those orange orbs swelling beneath their leafy vines throughout the summer. If your own garden offers the room for potatoes and pumpkins, this issue includes a bushel of options for what to do with all that fruit (and, yes, pumpkins are a fruit): Decorate with them (page 15), decorate them (page 20), bake a pie (page 27), make chili (page 36), bake a cake (page 41), bake some cookies (page 42) or teach a kid a gardening lesson (page 56). Whew! That’s a lot of squash. If you prefer other kinds of winter squash,…

IT’S TIME TO GIVE A SHOUT-OUT to the country woman who inspires you. Whether she’s a community volunteer or a do-it-all farmer, we want to meet her. Take a few photos and tell us what makes her special, and she could be named our 2020 Country Woman of the Year. The title comes with a $250 cash prize and the opportunity for her to be featured in an issue of Country Woman. If she wins, you’ll be awarded $250, too. And even if your nominee does not win, she may still be featured in a future issue. So introduce us! The contest runs from Sept. 13 to Dec. 6, 2019. Enter today at countrywomanmagazine.com/contests.…

Q: How do you prepare your yard for next planting season? I water my plants regularly year-round and fertilize with compost, manure and other supplements at key times. I also mulch to retain moisture against the winds. A few years ago, as one of the nastiest winter ice storms that the old-timers can remember hit our area, my heart sank as I saw some of my trees and shrubs almost flatten to the ground. As everything began to melt, the ones that were hit the hardest made a slow ascent almost back to their original stance. All of the watering, fertilizing, supplements and TLC paid off. LOU SHELDON BORGER, TEXAS I gather my fallen leaves and pass them through the shredder or mower. I put them in a garbage bag in layers, spraying…

Sew Collectible Thimbles, wooden sewing spools, antique scissors—you probably have a few of these in your sewing room. Tell us your stories about your collections of vintage sewing notions. Maybe it was grandma’s pincushion that got you started, or maybe a box of odd lots at an auction. Share with us! It’s in the Mail In this digital age of email and Facebook posts, it’s still exciting to open the mailbox and find a handwritten letter. Do you practice this lost art? Who do you write to and why? Introduce us to the women keeping this tradition alive. May We Come In? Got a summer porch worth showing off? What about a traditional country kitchen, with all its charm? Even the laundry room deserves its day. We want to take a peek inside your home…

AMY ADAMS TORRINGTON, CONNECTICUT TERESA AMBORD ANDERSON, CALIFORNIA HOLLY AMBRO SEQUIM, WASHINGTON SHARON BLUMBERG PFLUGERVILLE, TEXAS TABITHA COOPER COLUMBIA, TENNESSEE BRENDA DAVEY GREENBRIER, ARKANSAS SANDY DUDZIK STREAMWOOD, ILLINOIS SANDY ERDMAN GOODVIEW, MINNESOTA HELEN FLETCHER SHAD BAY, NOVA SCOTIA DANIELLE GLASGOW UNION MILLS, INDIANA MARIE HILLIARD NEWBORN, GEORGIA MARGIE LYTLE WASILLA, ALASKA MELLANIE MCCREARY PALMER, ALASKA JENNIFER MILAKOVIC-NELSON CAMPTON HILLS, ILLINOIS STEPHANIE MORGAN EWING, KENTUCKY HAYLEY MOSS HULL, IOWA SHELBY OPPERMANN MECHANICSVILLE, MARYLAND WENDY QUATTLEBAUM MCDONOUGH, GEORGIA MELODY RICHARDSON MIDDLESEX, VERMONT CATHIE SCHOER SHEPHERD, MONTANA CHERYL STUNKEL TUSCARORA, MARYLAND JAMIE TAYLOR MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN JESSICA WAGNER VERSAILLES, OHIO WENDY WALKER EUSTIS, FLORIDA PINCUSHION: ALI BLUMENTHAL; FOYER TABLE: MEGHAN FAIRALL…

WHAT YOU’LL NEED Vintage horse collar Large greenery leaves Dried wheat and grass stems Dried ornamental corn Artificial seasonal fruit and floral picks Hot glue gun Plant twist ties DIRECTIONS 1 Hot-glue large green leaves to back of collar, spacing evenly and overlapping each. 2 In a lower corner, arrange an outer circle of dried grass. Hot-glue to collar. 3 Use twist-ties to attach ornamental corn on top of dried grass. 4 Add floral or fruit picks on top, hot-gluing where needed. Fill in any gaps with additional wheat or grass.…