10 Ways to Enjoy a Beautiful Autumn Day

Finally, the summer heat died down and the mountain slope in front of my apartment glows orange and red. That delicious crispness is in the air and the farmer’s markets are loaded with apples and pumpkins. Forget Christmas: This is the most wonderful time of the year. Here are some ideas to kick off your season:
1. Visit the farmer’s market. Happy harvest! At this time of year, many farmers have squash, sweet corn, tomatoes, peppers, pears, peaches, and apples coming out their ears, so prices are often cut. Get ready for awesome deals on the most amazing produce of the year.
2. Go for a walk to see the leaves. When I think of fall, I think of colors. Walk around the block and admire your neighbor’s trees, or drive up to the mountains for a hike. The best time to go is that magic window between September 20th to about October 10th. Bonus: The sun’s rays are weaker now than during the summer, so spend more time outside to get your vitamin D.
3. Bring a few home to press. While you’re walking, find a few bright leaves and press them between layers of wax paper and pile some heavy books on top. Let them sit for two weeks. You’ll end up with perfectly flat, dry leaves that will never lose their color. Coat them in gel medium or Mod Podge to protect them from crumbling, then use your imagination. Frame them or collage them, or imbed them in decorative soap bars.
4. Rake someone’s yard. If you don’t have a yard to rake, find someone who does. They’ll love the help. Raking is a great upper body workout and you’ll perform an act of service at the same time.
5. Now jump in the leaf pile. Sure, you’ll just have to rake them up again, but jumping into the leaves reminds us to play and not take life too seriously. If you have a hard time letting loose, find a kid to help you out. Life is meant to be enjoyed, not endured.
6. Fall cleaning. If you’re like me, yearly spring cleaning isn’t enough to keep the clutter out, so add another big sweep in the fall. Getting rid of junk and airing out your home is invigorating.
7. Bake chili inside a pumpkin. While you’re cleaning, throw some cooked ground beef, cooked beans, diced tomatoes, corn, tomato sauce and seasonings into a hollowed out pumpkin. Put the pumpkin on a cookie sheet and bake until the chili bubbles and the inside of the pumpkin is soft. When you scoop out the chili to serve, make sure to scrape out a big hunk of pumpkin to go with it! (Careful not to scrape so much the pumpkin falls apart, but that’s what the cookie sheet’s for.)
8. Make your house smell great. Save the core from autumn pears and apples in a plastic baggie or container in the freezer. When you get a nice collection, dump the cores into a saucepan and simmer with a little water, cinnamon, cloves, and maybe some nutmeg. You’re house will smell incredible without the nasty chemicals from candles and air fresheners.
9. Bake an apple or pear for dessert. Remove the core from an apple or pear and sprinkle with cinnamon, brown sugar and a little butter. You can stuff the cavity with chopped walnuts and dates or raisins or leave it empty. Arrange them in a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for about a half hour or until tender.
10. Make pumpkin…everything! Hollow out some pumpkins, cut them up and bake them until they’re soft, then scoop the rinds out, throw the goopy stuff into the blender and puree. You can freeze this, but keep a fresh container in the fridge and add the puree to anything you want. Be creative! I like to add pumpkin to my oatmeal with raisins, cinnamon and nutmeg. Use to replace oil in gluten-free muffin and quick bread recipes, make gluten-free pumpkin cookies, or just heat the puree with a little butter, cinnamon and brown sugar for a delicious pumpkin pudding, or nix the sugar and spice and add a little salt and pepper for a quick side dish. If you’re really adventurous, try making pumpkin ice cream. I’ve never succeeded at this, but pumpkin ice cream the best pumpkin dish there is!