Autumn is here

[Kevin86]

Fall is here. Comfort food cozy homes.
2 trains of thought for me, squash, pumpkin, apples yum yum

These can be bought fresh and are very versatile this time of year. I'm looking for advice, tips, ideas....

We can bake up a storm, freeze puree, etc. We can feast now but winter is coming and that is often when days get shorter not everyone has as much work in the winter and people ned to tighten there purse strings. Fall is a good time to squirrel away some things for the winter.

So wether its a thanksgiving feast dish or a thrifty penny saving tip. What do you guys think?

 

[bethzaring]

I'm a gatherer. Two and a half years ago I moved to a totally different environment. I don't know the trees, vegetation, insects or animals here. But that has not prevented me from gathering. Last year it was chokecherries I gathered. This year it is pinon nuts, peaches, plums and apples. It is in my blood to gather and put away for winter.

 

[Kayelle]

Sadly, Fall doesn't mean the same beautiful time here as it does for much of North America. The best we can hope for is a dried palm frond falling from the sky that doesn't hit our parked car from the Santa Ana winds. Instead of beautiful multi colored leaves and delightful smells of fall in the air, it often means fire in the air.
The thing I most dislike about Fall, is the shorter days and it getting dark so early.
My mood is always dark in the Fall. On the other hand, I wouldn't trade where I live for anywhere I've had the pleasure of visiting.

I love your thoughts Kevin, and I agree Fall is a time for reflection, and thoughts of comfort food for the body and soul.

 

[Addie]

Apples right now are plentiful. The holidays are coming up way to fast and one of the residents in the building, freezes apple pies and give them as gifts for Christmas. On a limited income holiday foods make for a perfect gift.

I also like to freeze squash produce. Including pumpkin. Pumpkin bread makes for a great gift at any time on the year. I freeze the pumpkin is eight ounce flat packs. Carrot cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is always a favorite in this family.

I also have a large slow cooker that makes me the best beef stew. Plenty of fresh carrots, and other veggies go into it. My kids love it and the boys get a quart bag and my daughter gets a gallon of it from the freezer during the winter months. She has to share with a husband. Lamb stew with barley is another favorite in this family. I shop not only for fresh produce and veggies, but meats. Sometimes I get a hankering for a meat that is not on sale, (like lamb) yet not out of my price range, and will purchase enough of it to make it worthwhile for the making and into the freezer.

A lot of our members are in the process of canning right now. Jams and jellies made from the last of the fruits are good all year round.

Right now I have about ten pounds of fresh apples ready for pie making. My granddaughter wanted to relive her childhood and took her boyfriend up to NH and the orchard where we all went apple picking each year. She even climbed the apple tree to get the one way at the top.

 

[CraigC]

We look forward to a bevy of fresh produce, including strawberries. Then in 11 more days the first of the season, stone crab claws will be available. I'll drive across Alligator Alley many times this month for my service route and watch the cypress and slash pine trees be exactly the same as they are every day of the year. I can go out to the Big Cypress National preserve, in my shorts and tee shirt to see black bears in Jan. and Feb., the non-hibernating kind. I look forward to the days when it doesn't top 90 F outside. Then there is always the change of season from summer to the dreaded tourist season!

 

[Silversage]

It's hard to think about hearty foods. It's only 9:00 am here, and it's already up to 80 degrees outside. By supper time, we'll be looking for something light & cool.

Fruit - salads - grilled fish & chicken. I don't even want to think about turning on the oven! Maybe I'll make some homemade pasta.

 

[Addie]

It's hard to think about hearty foods. It's only 9:00 am here, and it's already up to 80 degrees outside. By supper time, we'll be looking for something light & cool.

Fruit - salads - grilled fish & chicken. I don't even want to think about turning on the oven! Maybe I'll make some homemade pasta.

And this is why I love living in New England. Our seasons are right on time. Even Indian Summer. We should be getting that in a week or two. Leaves are starting to change. Sure it is 48ºF., but I can live with that. Time to get out the warm coat.

 

[RPCookin]

And this is why I love living in New England. Our seasons are right on time. Even Indian Summer. We should be getting that in a week or two. Leaves are starting to change. Sure it is 48ºF., but I can live with that. Time to get out the warm coat.

Yep. Fall is my favorite season, and it would be perfect if it didn't lead to winter. But winter isn't so bad after living 2 years where there were no seasons except dry and wet (comfortable season and way too hot season, as it turned out for me).

One of the things I missed most in the Bahamas was seasons. There was no soup season, and that is where we are now. Yesterday it was windy and cool, we had a good thunderstorm about midnight with a half inch of rain, now its only about 45° and still windy. A bowl of soup and a couple of slices of good bread will be supper tonight - YUM!!

 

[Zhizara]

For me, it was First of Socks day Oct. 1st.

Each year, I notice when I'm first compelled to wear socks. It almost always comes in October, but not this early!

 

[Addie]

This is Fall in New England. The leaves change color from green to all of the glorious colors of the rainbow. Thousands of thousands visitors come here in the Fall just to see the foliage. We call them Leaf Peepers.
https://www.google.com/search?q=pic...oTCMvQxJLFqMgCFQRaHgodJIQO5w&biw=1280&bih=874

This is New England in the Fall.

 

[Andy M.]

This is Fall in New England. The leaves change color from green to all of the glorious colors of the rainbow. Thousands of thousands visitors come here in the Fall just to see the foliage. We call them Leaf Peepers.
https://www.google.com/search?q=pic...oTCMvQxJLFqMgCFQRaHgodJIQO5w&biw=1280&bih=874

This is New England in the Fall.

I never get tired of these beautiful colors.

 

[Addie]

I never get tired of these beautiful colors.

You drive, take a turn on the road and right ahead is one of those pictures. It is like driving right into a bowl of God's fruit loops.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

It may be fall there, but it sure ain't here! Still hot and humid in Southern California, which is quite unusual for any time of the year, but almost unheard of in October.

 

[Addie]

It may be fall there, but it sure ain't here! Still hot and humid in Southern California, which is quite unusual for any time of the year, but almost unheard of in October.

I feel bad for the folks who don't have the fall that we have. And this horrible drought is only adding to the misery.

 

[RPCookin]

This is Fall in New England. The leaves change color from green to all of the glorious colors of the rainbow. Thousands of thousands visitors come here in the Fall just to see the foliage. We call them Leaf Peepers.
https://www.google.com/search?q=pic...oTCMvQxJLFqMgCFQRaHgodJIQO5w&biw=1280&bih=874

This is New England in the Fall.

We lack the variety of trees that you have in the east, but it can still be pretty nice this time of year. I took this one last week along the upper Colorado River a few miles west of the Continental Divide. With the cool breezy weather the last few days, our "color season" may be finished by now.

 

[Cheryl J]

Gorgeous pics, Rick and Addie. Out here the leaves haven't even started to turn yet, and what ones do aren't nearly the brilliant colors that many of you have in your areas. Some do get a very pretty gold, but it's still way too early.

Autumn is my favorite time of year. The triple digits are done, the sky changes to a deeper blue, and I return to more activity as far as taking long walks. Soups and stews make their way back into the meal rotation.

I'm not crazy about the time change, though. Evenings seem so long when it's dark by 5, so that's when I get projects going. I'm going to make some more no-sew blankets for family members, that helps keep me busy and away from the TV. lol

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Fall is here. Comfort food cozy homes.
2 trains of thought for me, squash, pumpkin, apples yum yum...So wether its a thanksgiving feast dish or a thrifty penny saving tip. What do you guys think?

Autumn is my favorite time of year. for many of the same reasons that Cheryl mentioned, even though she lives in CA and I live in New England. And as far as the autumn colors up here? Sure they're beautiful, but most every other part of the country with deciduous trees has beautiful color in its own way. New England just has a better press agent! BTW RPCooking, are those the fabled golden Aspen trees? Your picture makes it look like the trees were really touched by the sun.

What I really miss at this time of year are the changing colors of leaves in Ohio. With the rolling hills in Amish Country, you can see wave after wave of colorful hillsides off in the distance. With all the parks in the Emerald Necklace surrounding Greater Cleveland, and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park right down the middle of the area, you can find colorful trees in a wide variety of settings. As a bonus, fewer people on the roads trying to see them.

And now on to food. We love soups and stews, so cooler weather is a welcome change from cold salads and grilled entrees. We love those foods too, but hearty cool-weather fare is like a hug from the inside. As a bonus, you can usually make a big pot of something that will taste even better the second or third day down the road.

 

[Aunt Bea]

In my area fall is about the color, smell and rustle of the leaves, fresh squeezed apple cider and warm cinnamon doughnuts or apple fritters!

These days a glass of cider and a doughnut is a once a year treat.

I was in my mid fifties before I realized you could buy one doughnut, I always thought you had to buy at least a dozen, who knew!

The one silly thing that I enjoy about fall and winter is being able to zip around town to do my grocery shopping in multiple stores without worrying about things melting or spoiling.

 

[RPCookin]

Autumn is my favorite time of year. for many of the same reasons that Cheryl mentioned, even though she lives in CA and I live in New England. And as far as the autumn colors up here? Sure they're beautiful, but most every other part of the country with deciduous trees has beautiful color in its own way. New England just has a better press agent! BTW RPCooking, are those the fabled golden Aspen trees? Your picture makes it look like the trees were really touched by the sun.

Actually these trees are not aspens, at least not most of them. These are a species requiring more water than than the aspens need, but I'm not really certain what kind of trees they are. The smaller bushes are willows, and the larger ones may be some variety of those too.

 

[bethzaring]

They are cottonwood trees.


Okay, I'm cheating...I took these two photos in October 2012 when I took Amtrak out to NM to see if I wanted to move here. One is from the train in northern NM and the other is at Ojo Caliente.