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The Rural Voice, 2005-10, Page 45Rhea Hamilton - Seeger and her husband live near Auburn. She is a skilled cook and gardener. By Rhea Hamilton -Seeger October is a generous herald, showing off the fruit of our labours and nature's rich profusion. The pumpkins are still glowing in the patch and grapes glisten sweetly on the vines. I think of October as a month of food. You have been' harvesting all summer long but it is the burgeoning crates of cabbages and burlap bags heavy with turnips, potatoes and carrots that impress. The sheer weight and volume of apples, pears, and late plums competing with the bushels of grapes cannot be ignored. Hence our celebration of Thanksgiving for our land of plenty and for our full lives. But not all the plenty that is visible to the eye is edible. We decorate our homes with the plenty of nature. Branches of brilliant leaves, armfuls of pinecones, and feathery grasses all lend themselves nicely to decorating both the exterior and interior of our homes. Among my favourites is the brilliant seed pod of the Chinese lantern or physalis alkekengi. It comes from one of the great plant families, nightshade which has so many forms that it could feed the world if need be. An average dinner would feature potatoes, eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes with petunias and salpiglossis for the centrepiece. If it were socially acceptable we could have a smoke of tobacco afterwards. The meal could be cooked with alcohol distilled from the potatoes, and if we got sick there are half a dozen drugs we could choose from. As in many families there are a few prickly weeds and poisonous fruits. Potatoes are the greatest gift of this plant family. But the element of poison that lurks in the nightshade, 40 THE RURAL VOICE Gardening Fall glory in a vase family develops in the green of sunburned potatoes and you are best to avoid eating that portion. The seeds are also poisonous. Bitter nightshade has lovely lavender flowers and climbs over everything. The brilliant red berries are quite attractive in outdoor arrangements but are poisonous and should be handled with care. Birds love them and apparently are unaffected. Bitter nightshade also attracts potato bugs so keep it well away from your vegetable garden. You could plant it on the opposite side of the yard and attract the bugs away from your potato patch. Chinese lanterns should be planted away from any garden too. They set out an aggressive underground runner that will pop up anywhere much like mint. Plant them in an area that will not interfere with the rest of the garden. As a ground cover under a tall tree, it will thrive in sun to partial shade and average soil. The small whitish flowers are tucked in among the leaves and you really don't notice them. But come late summer early fall the hot orange paper casing around the cherry is the highlight of the plant. Not to be ignored are, of course, the ilex and highbush cranberry for decorating and don't forget the sumac with its long red leaves in the fall. Some of the rose hips can be used \ although you don't want to strip any bush and leave nothing for the birds during the winter. There are advantages to being too busy to dead -head in your garden. Looking around in the early fall you can see a variety of shapes and sizes of seed pods. They make great additions to your fall decorating. Look at your iris as well as the flower hgads of your sedums. The spent flower heads from the globe thistle are fun too. Carefully remove any dead blossom petals and the spikey seed head is quite exotic looking. Queen Ann's Lace is a delicate addition and don't forget the spikes of false turtle head, a member of the obedient plant family. After the blossoms drop, the spike turns deep burgundy after a touch of frost. Check your roadsides for great finds. Tansy has become a problem in some areas but makes for a great dried flower. The small button heads keep some of their gold in the fall, much like yarrow which is another great addition to your arrangement. Teasels are another wonderful material. h is a biennial so it does seem to move around. One year it is here and the next it is gone. But it is just its growing cycle. There are some grasses that seem to "suddenly" appear in the late summer, early fall. I know suddenly is not the right word. I notice them waving soft clusters in fields that have had the grain harvested weeks before. In the dewy mornings they glisten and in some Tight they almost look lavender in colour — they could be fox tail or wild barley. But they make lovely airy additions to a fall arrangement. Remember not to wait too long to cut your dried materials. Grasses have a tendency to shatter when picked long after they ripen and some seed heads crumble more easily as the season wears on. Fall arrangements can be put together with no water and sent to compost before Christmas. 'What a bounty of beauty.0 4111.