Autumn is my favorite time of year because the weather is milder, and the colors are brighter. It is the time of year when the trees shed their leaves, plants become dormant, and nature prepares itself for winter. Peculiar fungi grows at the bottom of old tree trunks, adding to the mystery of the season.
Autumn is also a time of year for fall festivals and markets. I was honored to participate in a local market held each September in our little community called, Made in Michigan Market. I sat up a booth featuring my three novels and had a wonderful time talking to people I know and even strangers about my books…oh, and I even sold quite a few.
Autumn is when we winterize our camper and say goodbye to the adventures we had all summer, knowing it will be another six to seven months before we can plan another camping trip. However, I feel fortunate we spent 42 days camping this year-42 more than in 2020. We just finished our last camping trip of the season last week and could not have asked for more perfect autumn weather.
I love camping in the fall, as there are hardly any bugs, the trees are wearing vibrant yellows, oranges, and copper reds, and the cool, crisp nights make sitting around the campfire quite enjoyable. It gets dark early enough that you can enjoy the light filtering through the trees at dusk and listen to the hoot owls in the distance. I also have a selfish reason for liking to camp in the fall. The campgrounds are usually only one-third full, and it is very peaceful and quiet. You don’t run into the crowds of campers who like to blast their music or stay up late at night having loud parties.
Living in Northern Michigan as we do, my husband can participate in fall hunting and the autumn run of spawning salmon on the many rivers our state offers. There is something quite majestic in seeing an adult salmon break water as it makes its way upstream. Therefore, we choose rustic campgrounds close to where he can participate in these activities. The campsites in these campgrounds are much larger than you find in a state park, and you are distanced from your nearest neighbor. In the fall, you seldom have a neighbor.
Autumn is also a time of enjoying hearty meals and desserts. We have experienced a lot of rain the past four days, so besides working on my latest novel, I cooked and baked some of my hubby’s fall favorites: homemade chili, apple pie, and slow-cooker pot roast and veggies.
I know I can make chili any time I want, but it tastes better on a wet, gloomy day, especially when I can make it with fresh tomatoes and peppers from our garden. My husband is particular about his chili, so although my recipe might differ from others, it satisfies his taste buds.
If I want to make an apple pie from apples fresh from the orchard, autumn is the only time I can do this. I think that is the reason my husband appreciates the pies I bake even more in the fall. I use the recipe my mother gave me when I married over 52 years ago. At that time, I also made my pie crust from a recipe of my mother’s. However, with the refinement of shortening, the crust does not come out the same anymore. Therefore, I use premade crusts from the dairy department in the grocery store. I make sure it is name-brand crust as the off-brands do not work. I follow the directions on the box for a two-crust pie, but the rest of the process is my mother’s.
APPLE PIE RECIPE
It depends on the size of your pie pan for the number of apples you need. I have a deep10-inch metal pie pan, so use between 7-8 apples. I also have an apple corer and peeler, making the prep go much faster—Preheat oven per directions on crust package.
Instructions:
Peel and core your apples and cut them into small pieces.
Place one premade pie crust in a pie pan and press to fit
Put ¼ cup white sugar plus 1 Tbs. All-purpose flour in the bottom of the pie pan, and add your apples.
Place a few chunks of butter on top, ½ cup sugar, and ground cinnamon to taste.
Add the top crust and fit per directions on the package. Put slits in the crust so the steam can escape. Place pie in oven-I always place the pie pan on a cookie sheet as the pie often boils over, leaving a mess in my oven if I forget the cookie sheet.
After 15-20 minutes, cover the edges of the pie with foil or a pie crust shield to prevent the edges from burning.
When I made the pie a couple of days ago, I had an apple leftover, so I decided to make apple muffins since the oven was already on. You can use any plain muffin recipe, add cinnamon, applesauce, shredded apple, and bake them for 30 minutes. I imagine at least two or three more apple pies will be on the menu this autumn.
I also like autumn because it is the season of Halloween. As a parent of four children and a former school teacher and administrator, Halloween was a time of making outfits for our children, Halloween parties at school, and Trick-or-Treating. I even enjoyed dressing up for my students. As our children became school-age, their father would always dress up in some scary costume and scare the heck out of all five of us, as he pretended to be a trick-or-treater. Those were the days.
Mrs. Siwik acting silly with a witch’s hat
This year, we have something special to look forward to around Halloween or the days leading up to the holiday. Our oldest granddaughter and her husband are expecting their first child, a little girl. I cannot wait to become a great-grandmother and spoil another little one.
Once November comes, winter will be fast approaching, the weather can turn nasty, and travel becomes more difficult. The only good thing about winter is I can sit and write and not feel guilty about it, as it keeps me from getting cabin fever.
What is your favorite time of year, and what do you enjoy spending time doing during your favorite season?
Whatever it is, remember-“Don’t save today for tomorrow.”
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