Autumn and the Amish
I love autumn. The crunch of dry leaves. Crisp mornings. The smell of wood smoke. And the harvest.
Years ago, I used to can fruits and vegetables and make applesauce in September and October, but as my kids got busier and busier with school and activities, I couldn’t keep up with the canning and soon gave it up altogether.
The great thing about being a writer is that I can relive those days through storytelling, without actually doing the work. I did that in my most recent release, Becoming Bea, set in the months of October and November.
Autumn is a busy season for the Amish. Farm work includes: filling the silos, harvesting the corn, shredding stalks to be used as feed, and plowing the fields. Garden work includes: digging potatoes, completing the harvest, canning vegetables and fruits, making applesauce, apple butter, jams, and jellies, and cleaning out the garden and bedding it for the winter.
I put most of that work into Becoming Bea, plus so much more.
What is some of the work you do in the autumn?
(I’m running an All Things Apple contest to celebrate the release of Becoming Bea. Hop on over to my blog at lesliegould.com for all the details.)
Photo 1: Country Harvest by Kim Newberg (public domain)
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Leslie Gould is the award-winning author of fifteen novels, including the #1 bestseller and Christy Award winner "The Amish Midwife", co-written with Mindy Starns Clark. Her latest release is "Adoring Addie", a retelling of the “Romeo and Juliet,” the second in The Courtships of Lancaster County series. Leslie, her husband, Peter, and their four children live in Portland, Oregon. Visit her at www.lesliegould.com. Leslie received her master of fine arts in creative writing from Portland State University in 2009 and has taught fiction as an adjunct professor at Multnomah University. She, her husband, Peter, and their four children live in Portland, Oregon. Visit her at www.lesliegould.com.
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In mid to late October I cut back all my flowers and empty the hanging planters. Thin out my perinnals if they need it. Rake up all the pine needles covering everything. I don’t garden any longer. Just the two of us. I usually do make applesauce. Just a batch. I like to make pies and cookies and always make up a batch of spiced cider.
Blessings
Shirley
This all sounds so lovely, Shirley. Thank you for posting. 🙂
Can’t wait even more to read Becoming Bea! Autumn is my favorite time of year. I love seeing the beautiful colors of the fall leaves. Thank you for this post with Leslie Gould.
I love autumn too, especially before the rains come and the leaves are crunchy to walk through. The bright reds, oranges, and yellows are incredible!
I love the changing of colors. Using our wood stove and the smell of spices in the air. Would love to read Becoming Bea.
Yes, the scents of autumn compliment the colors so beautifully. It’s an enchanting time of year. I hope you’ll enjoy Becoming Bea. 🙂
At the moment I’m reading the book Marianna and I really enjoy it. It feels I’m part of the Amish family in the book. Thank you for writing the book.
I love the smells of Autumn especially if I can visit the country. The crunch of the Autumn leaves, the changing shades of the deciduous trees in the colder climes preparing for their winter sleep.
Here down in the Southern Hemisphere we are experiencing summer weather even though spring including electrical storm.
The book sounds an awesome read.
Alexa Blogging from Sydney, Australia