This year it felt like summer was going to last forever. In Anderson Valley’s Yorkville those high 80s and low 90s days just rolled on and on. Close the windows in the morning to keep the cool in and keep the hot out, then open them at night to let the cool in and force the hot out. Repeat. Keep those oscillating fans rolling: hot air feels so much cooler when it’s moving.
Suddenly in the second week of October something shifts, it drizzles and the air feels damp. The nights get chilly. Then it really rains and just like that fire season is over. But the overcast skies are kind of oppressive after the endless summer sun. We’ve been wishing for a break from the heat but we kind of liked the cheerfulness of those soft yellow days.
Like it or not the season has changed.
Time to get the winter clothes and shoes out of the garage and put away the lightweight summer stuff. Now, instead of shedding clothes to cool down we will be adding layers to warm up.
As compensation for the uncomfortable chill nature provides a beauty bonus. Every day a new crop of foliage turns color. Driving Highway 253 to Ukiah a “burning bush” pops up before me. A tree so brilliantly orange that it literally glows.
A visit to Gowan’s Apple Farm reveals their apples at their very peak. A tree with apples decking it out looks like so many Christmas ornaments in red, gold, and pink. Set off against a clear blue sky with scudding pillow clouds so white and clean the apple-laden branch is one of God’s most beautiful works. Sniff the apple and you can almost taste it. This year a new one for me was the “Winter Banana” variety, which is very pale yellow with a pink blush. Close your eyes and take a bite. The texture is crisp, but the taste definitely whispers banana. A new apple on the market just the last couple of years is called “Cosmic Crisp” — crisp, juicy and sweet but not in a sickly sugary way. Just tart enough to be interesting. Eating a Cosmic Crisp is a pleasure, pure and simple. Remember those old mealy delicious apples that looked so red and promising but tasted like mush? There are lots of new apples in town and most of them are much better although they may not look as pretty.
This year was the great for home grown produce. Everywhere you turn a neighbor or friend is pressing some just freshly grown fruit or vegetable at you. What a luxury it is to see the kitchen counter full of bowls with fresh picked offerings when deciding what to cook for dinner. Fresh tomatoes eaten “straight up” with just a sprinkling of salt are hard to beat. Great in salads, they are really good thrown as chunks into pasta sauce to brighten the mix.
This year I saw a magazine picture with zucchini cut into long, thin curls with a carrot peeler. I think they’re called zoodles. Ooh! Oodles of Zoodles! The texture is entirely different when trimmed so thin. Sautéed quickly with just a little olive oil — mmm, mmm good.
Harvest is waning these late October days which is sad but the holidays are coming which is happy news. A time when friends and family come together to fight off the mid-winter blues and blahs is almost upon us. It’s a great time to reconnect with people we lost track of during the busy summer. Time to sit down with a drink, some munchies and a friend to catch up.
In the autumn and winter home and hearth are no longer upstaged by the lure of outdoor beauty. There is time to cozy up to a fireplace or a glowing wood stove. The smell of wood smoke, the warmth of hot cider, the feel of a fat cat on your lap… All these are compensations during “Baby it’s cold outside” weather.
And remember just when the novelty of indoor pleasures is wearing thin, spring will be just around the corner with all its activity and rebirth. But for the time being try to appreciate this time of dormancy. We rest and rejuvenate, restore and rebuild to be ready for the next big season of activity. For every season there is a reason.
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