Time to Hunker Down: Letters From Home

The air has gone from crisp to cold and the neighborhood sounds of lawn mowing has changed to leaf blowing. This morning, the rain pattering on my window as I woke soon turned to ice. I need to get the rosemary potted up and inside for the winter.

Our cabin trip is over and now it feels time to hunker down and prepare for the holidays. These cold, windy, grey days put me in the mood to redecorate the house and focus on the pantry. I have applesauce to can, fritters to fry, bread to bake, soups to simmer, shelves to organize. With jazzy music playing and the wind blowing out of doors while the furnace hums softly…

It is that last burst of nesting energy that comes with the closing of harvest season. Although I must admit, knowing winter is ahead feels like an exhale.

My autumn chore list looks a bit like this:

• Make and can applesauce

• Harvest and freeze celery

• Plant garlic

• Plant spring bulbs

• Put the cold frames on the gardens

• Fermented salsa with the last of the tomatoes

• Homemade freezer hashbrowns

• Harvest horseradish and make Fire Cider

• Wash wool sweaters

• Bring rosemary indoors

• Stain kitchen shelves

• Wood butter tables, spoons, cabinets, cutting boards

• Make and freeze big batch of butter

• Buy houseplants

It is the season for puttering about and tending to those little corners that simply need cozied up before we spend the colder months indoors. Looking forward to sharing a few recipes with you all over the next few weeks. Autumn Blessings 🤎