Savoring the Season | Fall

Sep 22

There’s a certain point in August when I look up at our maple trees and can just tell the trees are tired. That subtle shift always makes me giddy with the first sign of fall, but I hold back my inner pumpkin spice-loving, Hocus Pocus-watching self and wait for nature to take the lead.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve relied on the tiny changes in my outdoor surroundings to signal it’s time to embrace the season. I’m not a “It’s fall, y’all” person. I don’t let the home décor industry dictate the rhythm of the seasons, and I certainly don’t grab that PSL until it truly feels like fall—or almost. I patiently wait until at least mid-September for my locally made pumpkin spice latte (decaf, with half the flavoring, of course), and I’ll throw a few little pumpkins on my kitchen island when I grab them from the grocery store.

All the cakes that come out of my kitchen before "true" fall are inspired by that bridge between summer and autumn. I bake cakes like Lemon Biscoff, Vanilla Spice, and Apple Pie Cake to celebrate the anticipation without fully diving into pumpkin-everything. There’s something sacred about waiting for the true autumnal equinox here in Virginia before embracing all things fall.

I think my soul lights up at the thought of becoming cozy again. From now until March, my kitchen will be filled with a special kind of deliciousness. Nothing softens me like coming inside from a chilly walk around the farm with my family and smelling a roast in the oven as we kick off our boots.

Oh, but the cakes that will be made in my kitchen this fall. I cannot wait to lean into my craving for more spice, more chocolate, yes, pumpkin! I want to experiment with adding Applebutter into a cake - my family has been making apple butter since the 50s on a weekend in November (I’ll bring you along for that ride, don’t worry!).

Today is officially the first day of fall, and on a drive this afternoon, I noticed how many of our trees are already tinged with yellow. I even spotted a few hints of orange. It’s here! It’s finally here!

Over the next several weeks, I’ll savor the changing light in my kitchen, the colors through the trees, and the cool mornings. Part of me wants to plan fall activities every weekend, but the other part just wants to watch it all unfold. With a house full of children, all five and under, my plans will stay loose. Instead of packed schedules and endless activities, I’ll teach my kids to appreciate the little magic moments and outdoor beauty that come with this change of season.

Fall is here, and I love it.