The Fall Foods

Fall is a great season for the obvious reason of viewing bright leaf colors, but it’s also a time to cook some great fall food that helps warm the house.

I’ve let the kids turn the heat on upstairs these past two nights, but I am cringing at having to burn oil in September! Downstairs it stays a balmy 60 degrees 😉

I’m a little distressed at my lack of fire wood this season. I had some dead trees cut down on my acre of land which I planned to use in the wood stove. It turns out that much of that wood is too old to be of much use. I had some wood left over from last year, but I don’t have a whole lot. If the power goes out, and we all worry about ice storms, I will burn through my supply pretty fast. No worries, I have coats and hats. I’ve made it through power outages before.

I haven’t had the money to finish siding the back of the house, so already it’s cold inside my wall microwave. My kitchen cabinets could double as a refrigerator in winter and I guess it will be this way for a while to come.

But with autumn nearly here officially, and the temps overnight in the 30’s, I’ve started to enjoy cooking again, as it warms us up. Winter squash is such a fabulous food and it has to bake for a while. I cut mine in half and bake it cut side down for about 45 minutes or more.  Then flip it right side up, add some butter and continue baking until soft.  Scoop it out and add brown sugar, salt and pepper.  It’s yummy and healthy.

The apple picking season is also upon us, or nearly. The peaches come first and then certain types of apples, and I’ll take a trip to Norway Hill Orchard to gather a big bag of macs soon. Then I can further warm my home with pie baking and crisp making.

Once the pumpkins are carved and the guts removed, I will dig through the mush and pull out the seeds to crisp up. I look forward to that too.

I see the oven being used for more than just meals for a while to come. And maybe I won’t need mittens when working in the kitchen.