August has settled in like honey— sticky and sweet. The mornings greet us with dewdrops and cooler temperatures. But the sun, rich and golden, will still warm the days. The air is thick with change. Summer is fading into something more earnest. A squirrel on our front porch is eating a peach from our tree. They must be ready to pick soon.

I am so excited to start being excited for fall! Last year, autumn seemed to arrive without any recognition, which is unusual for me. I find the excitement and anticipation almost just as wonderful as the season itself. Someone recently asked me what my plans for fall are, and I realized how fun it would be to sit down and think that out. What can I say, I’m a list person! I haven’t done so yet, but I know apple picking, decorating, Gilmore Girls, and our annual family cabin in the woods trip will be on the list.

For me the melding of summer and autumn is one of the best times of the year. I love seeing the golden ambers and rich reds in the gardens. The black-eyed susans, marigolds, and mums offering us the very last hoorah of the year. Zinnias last until frost and I love pairing them in a vase with pumpkins around the house.

“Thou crownest the year with thy goodness”

— psalm 65:11

I have been practicing contentment this season as we are watching our garden struggle more so than years past. Our house is surrounded by very old, very large trees that block the sun more and more each year and everything is quite slow. It has been frustrating but also a reminder to, in the words of Susannah Spurgeon, “fill my mouth with praise and thanksgiving that there may be no room in it for anything less choice and precious!”

We are to trust and obey and let not the word “why” be uttered from our lips. It is often underestimated how much there is for us to obey God in, even if we don’t have everything we think we want at the time. The Lord has set good works before me to walk in whether that be a small garden, a large garden, or no garden.

So while our growing space does not provide for us a years worth of food as we someday dream to have, it serves its purpose by teaching us new things. This year I am experiencing vine borers in my pie pumpkins for the first time and figuring out how to deal with those. It is also my first year growing most things from seed instead of buying plant starts from the local nursery. All of our tomatoes, cabbages, and onions that were started from a wee bitty seed are now producing and providing for us. This is not only cost-effective but very encouraging to me. We grew enough carrots to put a quart in the freezer as well as continue eating them fresh. I’m hoping to get another succession done before frost, although carrots typically over-winter just fine.

Our cabbages have been made into enough sauerkraut to last all winter, for quite literally pennies. Our cucumbers are growing a little wonky but we’ve still been able to get a few batches of refrigerator pickles and canned pickles out of them.

These refrigerator sweet pickles are a recipe from my summer recipe ebook, Peace and Plenty.

I think it is a misconception that in order to preserve something you must grow it yourself. This is not so! Supporting local farmers in bulk is a great way to get your hands on seasonal produce to squirrel away for the winter. Just last week we took a trip to “Amish Country” to grab some fall fabrics for the shop as well as to stop at our favorite local farms. I got green beans and corn for the freezer, peaches for canning, and banana peppers for pickling. I did not grow those things myself but a small family-run farms with like-minded values did, and I’m happy to support them. It always feels like a lot of money upfront, purchasing all this in the summertime. But it really evens out when our wintertime grocery shopping is basically meat, dairy, eggs, and citrus. This past winter we went the whole time without purchasing a tomato, cucumber, or any other out-of-season fresh item. I didn’t realize how much money we were truly saving until I had to buy tomatoes and cucumbers in May to photograph recipes for my ebook.

I also got my hands on organic apricots through Azure Standard for less than $2 a pound. At my local Whole Foods, organic apricots are typically around $5 a pound. I didn’t want to pass this up! I ended up canning halves in a light syrup and cooking the rest down to a thick butter. I ended up not adding any spices to the butter, in case I want to use it for meats and such. But on a cold winter’s day, a little cinnamon and a little nutmeg added after opening a jar will be a comforting delight.

“I think we respond to the rhythm of nature more than we know. There must be a kinship with the squirrels, who labor so diligently to store their nuts. I notice people who do not have gardens are restless, feeling subconsciously they must do something at this season. ”

— Gladys Taber, Country Chronicle

Can you feel it too? I’m beginning to get the itch to nest. Gladys put it perfectly, as usual. (We will have to accept that all of my diary posts will have at least one Gladys quote, how could I not?!) I watch the backyard squirrels scurry by daily with mouthfuls of leaves for their winter nests. It makes me say to myself, “See! It’s not too soon!” I want to paint the walls. I’m dreaming of a deep barn red to cozy up the living room. And my bedroom is a stale white and desperately needs life and color before we go into winter. I really… don’t have time to paint. I need to be canning. I need to be sewing aprons for the autumn shop. Maybe if there is still time to have the windows open after all the preserving is done in September, I will try and paint my room at least. For now, I’m going to spend my spare moments purging what we do not need. Books, linens, cluttered knick knacks…it all must go! Only what is beautiful and what is useful shall have its place.

May your days of August be busy and bountiful my friends. Blessings!

—Kaetlyn