Autumnal Delvings

Perhaps it seems a wee bit early to be talking about anything to do with Fall, or ‘Autumn’ as the season is more commonly known on this side of the Big Pond (ie the Atlantic). But really it’s not; at least, not here in Scotland. Summer is long gone: when he heard that July was taking off, he decided to elope with her. Our summers start in May and are over before we even turn the calendar page to August. However, I must say that he usually slinks back for one last hurrah in September. BUT– as the weather is already cool and crisp, some days filled with seasonally bright blue skies and racing clouds, others with relentless rain, I find my primal instincts kicking in–time to bake, can, make soup, store away for the long winter months.

You’d think that these urgings would have long ago left those of us sunk deep into the ‘conveniences’ of modern living. We no longer rely on the ’stores’ we set aside to last us through a fierce winter. All I need to do to make basically anything is to throw on a warm jacket and take myself down to the local supermarket. But yet, I live to embrace the stirrings that come in Autumn. Perhaps it’s because my mum always did canning (mason jars) in the Fall and we enjoyed the fruits of her labour, savouring pears, peaches, and cherries poached in some delightful, syrupy liquid all winter long. Perhaps it really is deeper than that, something God inbuilt in us from the birth of humanity to move with the seasons in order to ensure our survival. In any case, I find that I must embrace it, to move with the rhythms of life.

So my hands have been busy. Yesterday afternoon I cut open and pitted approximately 130 plums from our pastors’ plum tree and made up stewed plums as well as plums poached in port. The day previous I made up a big batch of butternut squash and coconut soup spiced with red pepper– even my girls will eat this one! I’m so glad that both my birthday and Canadian thanksgiving are thrust right into the heart of Fall–it is a time when I always feel so thankful for nature and friendship and good food.

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 29th, 2009 at 3:37 pm and is filed under Rachel's Musings, Reflections & Musings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.