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Autumnal Pleasures

Ahhh March. Autumn. At last. After a long hot summer, the days are starting to get shorter and cool down a little. Somehow, there is the feeling of Autumn in the air and not a moment too soon. Autumn is always our busy season. Between harvesting the produce that has grown in the garden and orchard all summer, and preparing for Winter, we have a lot to do. But there is pleasure in all this busyness.

The cooler days mean that we are getting back into cooking. Summers mean salads and BBQs to avoid heating the house with the oven, but once Autumn arrives, my inspiration returns. This year we need to make some more caramelised onion, and I’ve already whipped up a batch of peach chutney – delicious with curries over winter. I want to make a whole lot of applesauce to go with our pork, and there is still some sour cherries in the freezer that need to be used somehow. I love the feeling of squirrelling away all our summer produce ready for winter treats. There really is nothing better. This year I’m also determined to master making our own hot cross buns. I love making bread, but don’t get to do it very often. This is the year!!

With our harvest coming in our dehydrator has been working over time. We have dried plums and figs to be chopped up and put into our homemade muesli. We’ve also dried apricots, apples, and pears to snack on.

Each autumn, we stop by wild fruit trees on the side of the road on our way into town and fill bags with apples and peaches that we bring home to cook and freeze. The taste of wild foraged fruit is infinitely better than any fruit that comes from a shop!

The roadsides are starting to show other signs of Autumn too. A few trees are starting to change colour, and the hawthorn bushes are loaded with berries. Most year I love to stop and bring a few branches home to put in a vase. This year, though, I won’t be picking hawthorn because I have no idea where any of my vases are packed.

Cooler weather also starts me on my annual crochet binge. I cannot for the life of me find the wool I bought last year (it’s in a box somewhere – I will find it when we move back into our home), so I’ve pulled out the scraps of wool to practice my hexagons. The kids have all put in orders for new beanies, so I think some of the leftover Cleckheaton superfine left over from this project will do beautifully. I love to sit and crochet in the cool evenings; the rhythm of hooking is always soothing after a busy day at work.

Of course, there are other Autumn jobs to be done around the farm. Firewood needs to be gathered, split and stacked before the weather turns too cold. We need to take our nut wizards out to gather acorns to feed the pigs (they makes the pork really delicious!). It hasn’t been much of a year for pumpkins, but we will need bring in whatever we manage to grow. The March rains that we normally get haven’t really materialised yet. We are keeping our fingers crossed that they arrive soon. The land is looking brown and grey and tired after a long hot summer. It needs the rain to refresh it and settle the dust. So much dust!

With the days getting shorter, I feel that it’s time to hunker down and prepare for the winter ahead. Hopefully, we will be back in our snug little farmhouse by then.

Are you ready for Autumn? Do you have any plans for the next few months?

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Previous Post: « A Renovation Update | February 2017
Next Post: A Moment In Time »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Alexa-asimplelife says

    July 4, 2017 at 10:03 am

    Love the delicious colour of the Crimson Virginian vine x

    Reply
  2. Kathy says

    March 25, 2017 at 7:35 pm

    Can you please tell me the brand of your dehydrator. I’d love to have a go with drying my own apricots. Thanks Kathy

    Reply
    • Jo@CountryLifeExperiment says

      March 25, 2017 at 8:05 pm

      Mine was a gift but it came from ALDI. They come around every year and they are quite cheap

      Reply
  3. Janette McMaster says

    March 23, 2017 at 7:58 am

    It sounds like you have a busy time ahead of you. Those apples look absolutely delicious!

    Reply
  4. jan2132 says

    March 22, 2017 at 2:58 pm

    Strudel made with sour cherries is very good,

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Jo

I'm a city girl turned farmer's wife, school teacher, ideas woman, and mum to three country kids. Country Life Experiment is all about simple country living, growing and making our own food, and life on our family farm in rural Australia. Join me as I give country living a try. Read more...
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It’s been a busy old day around here. Washing be It’s been a busy old day around here. Washing bed linen, getting rid of the cobwebs that spring up so quickly. I even pulled everything out on the bathroom vanity and gave it a purge and deep clean. I have no idea how half the stuff got there 🤷‍♀️. For me January is a time to reset the house, de clutter and get sorted. Something about a new year perhaps? 🤔
Anyhow, here’s a pic of my freshly decobwebbed (totally a word) window  which makes me happy- just don’t look too closely!
I’ve been baking today, in between watching the I’ve been baking today, in between watching the news coming out of the US in disbelief. The mulberry tree has begun to fruit so I whipped up this mulberry yoghurt cake. It’s delicious and easy. The mulberries go all jammy and the cake is soft and not too sweet. Perfect comfort food with a hot drink when it feels like the world has gone mad.
We’re beginning 2021 in the best way; at the bea We’re beginning 2021 in the best way; at the beach with cousins. Despite the occasional rain we are enjoying swimming, playing board games and just hanging out together.
Top 9 2020 Drought and lots of pics around the far Top 9 2020
Drought and lots of pics around the farm (and a bit of green at the end) really does sum up the year.
We’re doing Christmas 2.0 today. I made this cho We’re doing Christmas 2.0 today. I made this chocolate gingerbread tart I saw in a magazine (not sure which mag?) and it is the bomb. Ginger nut crust, salted caramel chocolate filling and fresh cherries and cream on top. I’m sticking it in the recipe book for a repeat.

Edit: It comes from the Woolies mag
It’s been a beautiful lazy Boxing Day. A sleep i It’s been a beautiful lazy Boxing Day. A sleep in, hours to just read and play games, plenty of leftover treats, zoom family chat over 3 continents, and of course a swim on the dam. It doesn’t get much better than this!

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Hi, I’m Jo

City girl turned farmer's wife, school teacher, ideas woman, and mum to three country kids. Country Life Experiment is all about simple country living, growing and making our own food, and life on our family farm in rural Australia. Join me as I give country living a try. Read more...
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