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Hi Reader,

Well, well, well. As if the deer, gophers, moles, and ground squirrels weren't enough animals to eat/damage our produce the birds decided to join in!

We've had pecks and holes on things in the past, but there was always enough left for us that it hasn't been an issue. Until now...

Do you remember the photo of our grapevine loaded with large clusters of grapes after I let it grow to the side from the arbor?

That was August 6. This is now:

We came back from our week long vacation to see every large cluster gone - poof! Sigh.

We still have some smaller clusters that need to ripen, so I bought some organza bags to cover each one. I bought large ones for next year so they will be a bit big for what's left, but there isn't a way to cover the whole vine completely so this is the only option that will guarantee we will get at least some grapes.

At this point I just have to laugh at the animals vs. garden - it's so ridiculous!

In better news, though, the gray wet weather we've been having has allowed me to plant the fall spinach, lettuce, and onion seedlings without wilting in the heat:

I'm taking a page from Charles Dowding's book - he plants seedlings way smaller than I would normally. Let's see how they do! (I do have them covered in insect netting and shade cloth, since it's supposed to get hot again next week.)

I hope your garden is giving you some good returns!

Lets turn to talking about some of my favorite late summer sweets! Basically, berries and zucchini! 😀

Late Summer Desserts

​Berry Crisp with BIG Crumb Topping​ #1 favorite for this time of the year for me! Making them in individual portions is a game-changer for serving (though you can use a pan). ​

​Easy Blueberry Cobbler with Honey Lemon Sauce​ Quick to make and so, so good. The lemon honey sauce MAKES it - just saying.

​Glazed Zucchini Lemon Bread​ What would summer be without lovely zucchini breads? This lemon bread ups the dessert factor with the lemon glaze.💜 Dairy free and whole grain.

​Whole Wheat Blackberry Crumb Bars​ So, so good with the blackberries that are ripe everywhere right now around here. Works for breakfast, snack, and dessert! ​

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From The Blog

​Homemade Pesto Recipe (with secret ingredient)​ It's not really a secret - just a change from expensive pine nuts that we like even better!! Updated for this year. ​ GET RECIPE HERE! ​

​Got 10 Minutes? Make this Black Bean Salad with Corn & Peppers​ It's the lovely light lime vinaigrette that sets this apart. Oh, and it's a perfect meal prep/make ahead salad! ​ GET RECIPE HERE!

A Few More Things

I just paid my semi-annual visit to H&M Home Throw Pillows - it's the best place I've found to get inexpensive seasonal pillow covers. They are half price or less than Target and the quality is better than you get from a random Amazon listing. Storing covers takes a LOT LESS room than pillows and they are easy to wash. Right now they are on SALE, though I don't know how long it will last -many of them are $7-9! For natural fabrics, too! I got this neutral damask cover for $7.65, this floral with a black background for $8.50, and this $8.50 twill cover in dark yellow to coordinate with the floral for fall. I love them and just had to share!

After literal years of saying I needed an oven thermometer (yes, even with our relatively new stove), I finally bought this one this week! It is larger than typical oven thermometers, which is great for these aging eyes. 😂 Now I just need to bake something and put it to the test! I've had so many baked good turn out differently in this oven - I'm hoping this will help me to adjust the temperature or timing better!

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Have a wonderful week!

Remember it's easy to save recipes on An Oregon Cottage! Just click the heart when browsing to save your personal favorites! TIP: when you click on the link, it will take you to my site - click the heart like you see here to the left - it will be on the bottom right on the site. A pop up form will come up for you to create an account (or sign in if you already have). You need to create a password for this account (no info is kept besides your email) and then you can save all recipes and articles to this account and access it anytime to remember what you want and choose what to make!

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