10 things I love about Autumn

Autumn has always been my favorite season. As a child, autumn began when my grandfather put away the garden and brought in the pumpkins, and ended when we brought the youngstock (heifers) into the barn at the first snowfall. PaPa would place the pumpkins and squash in the dairy barn, in front of the cow stalls on sections of straw. I remember scrutinizing this "array" of pumpkins for just the right one.


I was allowed to choose one pie pumpkin as a "pet". It had to be small, and perfect with a neat green stem. I would bring it home and wash it. I assure you I slept with it. Then, of course, I had to choose a jack o'lantern pumpkin, because I wouldn't have the heart to put a knife to my pet. If it survived without bruising, it would be made into pie.


We also had leaf piles. Country farm sized leaf piles that were sometimes so big that we had to bring our horses and jump from the saddles. This ritual ended when the farm got geese. Geese made all the leaves in the yard....shall we say.... unjumpable. Apples were gathered from the orchard by spreading tarps under the trees for the apples to fall on, then hauled to be made into cider. The last of the corn would be eaten, and the corn stalks cut to feed to the horses.


For a gardener, there is a lot to be done in the fall. I call it "ungardening". Plants are pulled or cut, the ground is tilled under for spring. Supports and cages have to be pulled and stored, and pots washed and stacked. What tomatoes and squash that can be saved are put away, and the last of each vegetable becomes a precious commodity.

Usually, but not this year, I have an abundance of green tomatoes that have given up ripening due to the cool temperatures. Each Sunday through September, as the football game comes on TV, I fry myself a plate of green tomatoes. I like them rock hard to keep a sour tang to them. I dust them with corn meal for a crunch coating, put some coarse black pepper on and fry them in olive oil, or, if I've planned ahead, bacon grease. If you spend the summer eating BLTs, save the bacon grease for an autumn of fried green tomatoes!

So, here, in no particular order, are the 10 things I love about autumn...

Scarecrows, and Mums.... Mums are the perfect way to brighten up a tired landscape. After they pass their prime for decorating purposes, I plant them in my perennial beds.

Maple leaves... leaves are my husband's LEAST favorite thing about fall.

Crisp, tart, fried green tomatoes...

Pears... Mom has a wonderful Bosc pear tree in her yard which produces bushels of pears each year. I think this is my husband's favorite thing about autumn... and my horse's....

Corn Shocks... my husband was kind enough to bring these home after Mom's corn field was harvested. They always miss a few....

Hot Mulled Apple Cider (with a shot of spiced rum Mmmm...)

Horse Chestnuts.... we have a large horse chestnut tree in our front yard. I cannot resist picking them up. And my sister will agree with me, it becomes an obsession. I always have pockets full of them, and each year I collect a bucket and spread them in the woods where they'll have a chance to grow. I drop them, then push them into the soil with my heel. My husband hates them almost as much as leaves. Both interfere with his lawn mowing. He hates it worse when he finds one clunking around in the dryer.

The Weather... the colors, and the cooler weather make autumn my favorite season for horse back riding. There is nothing better than a high autumn sky, and a firm, newly harvested cornfield to gallop through...

And of course, pumkins...