Autumn’s Bounty, Harvesting, Storing, and Recipes

It’s Autumn and the time of year where Nature seems to be at her best with so many fruits and vegetables ready to harvest.  Autumn is when the weather cools down, the heat of the summer is over and we can put our sweaters on and take long walks through the woods or park as the sun shines through the heavenly colored leaves. We see the beauty and bounty of nature with the magical changing of the leaves to glorious and brilliant colors of orange, yellow, scarlet red. Nature uses her paintbrush and pallet of colors to show us the beauty she has to offer us and to perform her duties as it was meant to be with the changing of the seasons.

As the seasons change we must do our part to keep our gardens in shape and ready for the coming winter!

What does Autumn have to offer us and things I do with Autumn’s harvest:

• Some of the most delicious garden vegetables and fruits are ready for harvesting and sometimes referred to as Winter fruits and vegetables  – pumpkins, winter squash of many types, apples, artichokes, beets, cabbage, sweet potatoes, yams and so much more.

•  We look forward to biting into our favorite apple whether is a sweet red or yellow delicious, or a tart Winesap apple. We all have our favorite type of apple and there are so many to choose from. Whatever your favorite organic apple is you can be sure of it many health benefits and what a nutritious snack for kids and adults.  Other tantalizing apple treats are hot apple cider, apple desserts such as apple crisp, dumplings, apple cake, cookies, or just a plain baked apple with cinnamon and a little organic pure cane sugar right out of the oven. The list is almost endless of the delicious healthy desserts we can make with apples.

• Pumpkins and winter squash are filled with a wealth of health and so many recipes to tempt your taste buds such pumpkin pie, pumpkin cake, and one of my favorite is my own homemade pumpkin ice-cream.

• Sweet potatoes and yams another healthy and food that Nature provides for us to enjoy. There are so many ways to use  sweet potatoes — bake it, make stuffed sweet potatoes. One my favorite recipes is>>>>

HEALTHY CANDIES SWEET POTATOES: — Slice thinly, add a 1-2 tablespoons of organic coconut oil, maple syrup, and          little sea salt baked at about 375 degrees for approximately 30 minutes until soft. Great for Thanksgiving or any                     occasion!

•  I freeze some of the sweet potatoes — after cutting for fries and bagging them so they are ready to eat after. Just dethaw and put on a large cookie sheet with a little sea salt and bake at about 400 for 20 minutes turning them once. You have delicious and healthy sweet potatoes fries that are not coated with any extra preservation or additives. Just plain healthy and delicious!

• We store many of the winter squash to last us throughout the winter in unheated room with large tupperware containers, vented with small drilled holes to allow for air flow in the sides after being cured probably. We line the bottom of container with newspaper. Keep them at an even temperature – cool and dry. Check periodically for any signs of mold or spoilage. If your see one squash that is started to spoil remove immediately and use.  We store sweet potatoes, spaghetti squash, and butternut squash. If your unsure about when to harvest your butternut please check out how to tell if your butternut squash ripe!

• We keep long neck pumpkins  (I prefer long neck since you get a lot more meat from them) in the freezer too by using the popular Instant Pot and cooking them down, then cooling them. After cooled take and put in a food processor to give a smooth even texture and consistently. We put them in bags and freeze to have throughout the Winter and spring to use for any dish I choose.

How wonderfully nature has planned the fall harvest and the seasons. We just need to take advantage of the many foods available for a healthy diet and abundant food that is available. Whether you have your own garden or you buy from a local farmer make sure it is organically grown so that you are are eating as healthy as possible.

This post is done in collaboration with other natural living bloggers and websites from all around the world about homesteading, healthy living for Fall!  I would encourage your to check each and every site out to learn so much more about harvesting, storing food, and many homesteading tips to help you live an organic and healthy lifestyle!!

Annie @ 15 Acre Homestead

Julia @ Julias Daily Tips

Kristi @ The Stone Family Farmstead

Frank @ My Green Terra

Candy @ Candys Farmhouse Pantry

Rosie @ A Green and Rosie Life

Valerie @ Living My Dream Life On The Farm

Chelsea @ The Green Acre Homestead

Shawna @ Home Grown Self Reliance

Joyce @ Natural Bliss Podcast Blog

Joy @ Bean Post Farmstead

Kathryn @ Farming My Backyard

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About the author

Marla

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Hi! Thanks for visiting my blog! I believe in living green, organically, and natural in every aspect of our lives. My mission is to help educate you on how to live green, help save our environment and to help you and your family live a happier, healthier life!