As reluctant as I was to embrace fall, I still had experiences this season worth savoring:
- Fall colors. Every year, I’m surprised by the season’s beauty. You’d think I’d have a better memory. It’s hard to describe fall without being cliche. The season’s sights and smells always turn people into poets. Myself included. Rather than a poem, here’s a photo.
- Novels. Books don’t have a season but I think that genres do. Fall is the perfect time to read Anthony Doeer’s newest novel All the Light We Cannot See or any other hefty work of historical fiction. I’m nearing the end of the book but keep slowing down so it won’t end.
- Lavender mochas. This is the signature drink of a new coffeeshop I visited on a fall trip. I thought it would taste like hot cocoa flavored with air freshener. It doesn’t. The pumpkin spice latte may have some competition.
- Mini pumpkins. I aspire to more, but this year my fall decorating amounted to scattering tiny pumpkins and gourds around our apartment. It’s like an Easter-egg hunt except it’s pumpkins and they’re not hidden and no one looks for them. Maybe next year I’ll try this.
- Homemade syrups. We like to make our own pumpkin spice syrup using this recipe. It’s great for lattes but could probably be poured over pancakes too. A few weeks ago, we discovered a recipe for ginger syrup. Perfect for making ginger ale or a Moscow Mule.
- Apples. I could visit an orchard every weekend in the fall. Over the past two months, I’ve been to four which has amount to a lot of apples in my fridge. I know Honeycrisp is the crowd favorite in my state but this year I discovered how much I love Macouns. If you were overzealous about orchards this year too, here’s a recipe for an incredibly easy (but impressive) braided apple strudel.
