"Oh, it's a long, long while from May to December,
But the days grow short when you reach September."
The mornings have been lovely this last week. Waking up now just as the sun is rising brings the first hints of Autumn in the air. It is crisp, and clean, and cool (thankfully), and these now cooler nights are hitting the tips of some of the trees as color starts to appear. September, how I've longed for you to be here, and here you are. Welcome!
The farmers' markets and roadside stands are now bursting with the first fruits and veggies of the harvest, with plenty to come in the weeks ahead. Already I'm pulling out recipes for squash, pumpkin, and, of course, apples ... lots and lots of apples. Here in upstate New York we are blessed with the perfect climate for apples of every variety. There are farms and orchards here who open their gates to folks and invite them to come pick their own. We haven't had the opportunity to do so these last few years, but this year we may see it coming back. How awesome it would be to be able to grab a basket and get at it again.
The other day when I opened the window and got a whiff of the clean, cooler air, just for a second I could catch a particular aroma that I always described to my kids as: "It smells like it's time for school." Of course I was the only one who could smell it, or feel it. I wasn't just teasing the kids growing up. If my Mom were alive she would tell you that even as a child I would share that moment with her when I opened the door and declared to her that it "smelled like school." I had that feeling the other day. Needless to say it spurned my yearly commitment to stocking up on blank notebooks, pencils, and pens, and to start searching for some topic to study which I undertake on my own every year, just like picking a course of study in college. I firmly believe that learning is a life-long event and that we never stop, nor should we. How boring life would be if we didn't find new and interesting things to learn and to try. This year I am choosing to go deeper into vegan cooking, looking for more diversity and creativity in the kitchen. What better time to take that up than when it is harvest season and the best that our local farmers have to offer is all around!
So this September, I am singing a song of hope for apple picking, cooler days, beautiful leaves, and the excitement of discovery between the pages of vegan cookbooks and online. Just thinking about it makes me want to sing out loud!
And so it is.
