Merry meet all,
We all feel that telltale chill in the air. My garden must be feeling the chill.. I just harvested tomatoes and a cucumber. The pumpkin vine struggles to grow before the frost claims it and the rest of the garden. The wind blows hard through the trees. I am thankful for the frost blanket that protects my plants. The cucumbers will be the final harvest.
Let’s begin October on the right buckled shoe! It’s time to dig out your favourite cozy winter woollies. One of my favourite sweaters to wear in the fall hails from Killstar. I love the long black sweater because of the graphic Purr Evil. ( I am but not as evil as my cat, ok, just kidding). I have a few other warm woolly sweaters, and I love the black cable knit pullover cardigan. It matches everything I wear and always looks great. Always wash your sweaters in cold water and allow to air dry. They will last years. Dig out scarves, mitts and gloves. Brush them clean of dust or hair. Put away the summer gear. It’s hard yeah but we need to protect our health.
Now that you are all cozy and styling, venture outdoors for a lovely nature walk. Gather pinecones, acorns, flowers, seeds for next spring, and chryanthemums or marigolds. View the change of the colors of the tree leaves. Feel the fresh crisp air blow your hair. Observe the birds and squirrels storing their seeds away for the long cold rest. Carry a cup of joe or chai tea with you to guard against the chill. Collect apples in a basket – but first get permission if you have to to pick them – to make applesauce or chutney. Grab a pumpkin and now you are all set! You can melt wax in a double boiler and coat gorgeous fiery coloured autumn leaves to preserve them. If you have a press, save the leaves and then press them into your Book of Shadows. Make your own paper with flowers you saved from your nature walk. Create an original pumpkin carving design. Download herbal tea recipes suited for fall. Invite your friends out to a big pumpkin patch and. or apple picking lot.
Now what to do with all those apples? Simple. Try making this chutney. Your pals will be impressed.
ZESTY APPLE CHUTNEY RECIPE
Prep Time: 30 minutes. Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds apples
- 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- zest of one orange
- 1 cup water
Gather all the ingredients. One tip for keeping apples and pumpkins fresh is to combine one part white vinegar with 4-6 cups water. Put it in a bowl and dip the fruit into it. If the pumpkin is large, then rub the mixture over the whole pumpkin then let dry. They will last you longer. Core, peel and chop the apples and the onion. Add the ingredients to a good sized pot. Mix all the ingredients together. Don’t let this burn. Cook at medium heat, bring to a boil then let it simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. Stir frequently. Taste test the chutney to ensure the ingredients are blending nicely. Check the acidity of the chutney.
Remove pot from heat and allow to cool. Store the chutney in jars. Wipe the rims of the jars before tightening the lids. You can if you wish preserve the jars in a water bath canner for 10-15 minutes. Label the jar before storing.
APPLESAUCE RECIPE
- Ingredients
4 pounds of apples (about 8 to 10 apples, depending on the size), peeled, cored, and quartered (use apples varieties that are good for cooking such as Granny Smith, Pippin, Gravenstein, Mcintosh, Fuji, Jonathan, Jonagold, or Golden Delicious)
2 strips of lemon peel (use a vegetable peeler to strip the zest only, not the pith)
3 tablespoons lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (more or less to taste)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Up to 1/2 cup of white sugar (can sub half of the white sugar with brown sugar)
1 cup of water
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Boil peeled, cored, quartered apples with lemon, cinnamon, sugar, salt in 1 cup water:
Place the peeled, cored, and quartered apples into a large pot. Add the strips of lemon peel, the lemon juice or vinegar, cinnamon, sugar, water and salt. (You might want to start with half the sugar at this point and add more to taste later.)
Bring to a boil on high heat, then lower the temperature, cover the pot, and maintain a low simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the apples are completely tender and cooked through.
Remove lemon peels, mash the cooked apples:
Once the apples are cooked through, remove the pot from the heat. Remove the lemon peels.
Use a potato masher to mash the cooked apples in the pot to make a chunky applesauce. For a smoother applesauce you can either run the cooked apples through a food mill, or purée them using a stick blender or a standing blender. (If you use a standing blender, do small batches and do not fill the blender bowl more than halfway.)
If the applesauce is too thick, add more water to thin it out.
If not sweet enough, add more sugar to taste. If too sweet, add more lemon juice.
This applesauce is delicious either hot or chilled. It pairs well with pork chops for savory dishes, it’s terrific with cottage cheese as a snack or light lunch, and it’s great with vanilla ice cream or yogurt. Label the jar before storing it.
Freezes well and will last at least a year in a cold freezer. If you freeze it, make sure to allow enough headroom in your jar for expansion. At least an inch.
If you are truly keen on harvesting herbs for autumn, elderberries, burdock and dandelion are good healthy choices. Take cuttings of chives, mint, sorrel, sage, lavender, rosemary, thyme, oregano, Harvest all the basil. Dip the cuttings into a rooting hormone powder and plant them in a terracotta pot with fertilizer enriched soil. Save the seeds from the garden. I harvested a huge patch of lemon balm. I now have more seeds than I will know what to do with. When the seed heads of lavender are brown, that is the time to harvest the seeds. Whether you save seeds in a paper bag or a jar, label, label, label!! You need to know sage from sorrel. So you won’t recall what seed is which a few months from now. Don’t leave it to memory. Download pretty labels and get creative!
You can have tons of fun during autumn and be creative in the kitchen. If you grew a bounty of herbs during the summer, why not use them in your favourite recipes? Or learn a new recipe. I never made chutney before but it sure enlivened my tastebuds. Wow.
Blessed Be, Spiderwitch
