Posts tagged fall decor ideas

Fall 2023

It’s three weeks from the Autumnal Equinox, but Fall is most definitely in the air. (Let’s be honest, it starts in August in Norway). Something about Fall feels different this year, though. I think it’s the excessive amount of rain we’ve had for two months. Red warnings on the map, flooding, mud slides - it’s been a lot of rain.

This newsletter is inspired by my love of seasons and especially, the beautiful exhale of one season shifting to the next. It’s a subject that I love - nature being my muse. Yet, I’d like to take off my rose-tinted glasses as I write about cozy fall traditions and acknowledge the environmental cost of business as usual on people and the planet. My hope is that these seasonal posts inspire ways to slow down, reuse & reduce, and give careful consideration towards where to spend our money. So grab a cup of tea, and cozy on up gentle reader.

in the kitchen

MOM’S APPLESAUCE CAKE

Fall means apples and all signs point to a bumper crop this year. I’d like to share one of my Mom’s favorite recipes. One that she’d make often growing up - applesauce cake. This is a sweet and delicately spiced cake to be enjoyed with a cup of tea or shared with a neighbor. Mom would use homemade applesauce from local apples from the Charlevoix Apple Fest, because that woman understood that supporting local farmers tastes sweeter. But, this recipe would also taste lovely by switching out the applesauce simply for apples, zucchini, or basically anything that Bear Creek Organic Farm market sells. Because creativity is a form of resistance, after all.

1/2 to 3/4 c. sugar (or sugar substitute) 1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 c. butter or coconut oil 1/2 tsp. cloves

1 c. applesauce or apples 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 1/2 c. flour 1 c. raisins (optional)

1 tsp. baking soda 1/2 c. chopped walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Cream the butter & sugar.

2. Mix the flour & baking soda and add to the creamed butter-sugar mixture, making sure not to overmix.

3. Add the remaining ingredients.

4. Put in a greased 8-inch pan & bake for 45 minutes at 350° F. Serve with whipped cream lightly sweetened with maple syrup. (My fav. maple syrup sources: American Spoon, Vermont Maple Syrup, & Harwood Gold - Grade B all the way, thank you former life living in Vermont)

PUMPKINS!

This next bit in particular is for the lovely Norwegians who are reading. Each year Halloween seems to be getting bigger and bigger here and as an American I wanted to share the things we love most about Halloween: Traditions! The food, the family-crafting, and the homemade costume-creativity is what we love and remember from childhood. Let’s focus on pumpkin carving and specifically, what to do with all of the stuff inside of the pumpkin. If you’ve ever thought that is a lot of mess and feels wasteful to throw away- we’ve got you covered.

What to do with the stringy, gooey guts (minus the seeds):
- Add to veggie soup stock for added flavor + vitamins A & C (strain before using)
- Puree and use in baking breads, muffins, and oatmeal
- Make pumpkin juice (boil water and pour over the guts, mash with a fork, strain, and add to smoothies)
- Make a body scrub (blend the guts with sugar & honey or used coffee grounds & honey)
- Make pumpkin protein snacks
- Make healthy pumpkin dog treats
What to do with the seeds:
- Roast them! (remove and wash the seeds in a colander, boil in salted water for 10 minutes, then toss in coconut oil and roast on a sheet pan until browned or crispy at 200° C) Try adding different spices to jazz them up. (cumin-garlic-salt-pepper) (parmesan-garlic-salt ) (chili-paprika-salt-pepper) (cinnamon-honey-cardamon)

inside

an earthy palette + landscapes inspired by movement

Windswept Field, acrylic on canvas, 16 in. x 16 in. $220
If you live in northern Michigan, enjoy free delivery in mid-December to skip the shipping fees on this piece. Select the *pick-up* option at checkout. 5% of all profits donated to MA‘O ORGANIC FARMS in Wai‘anae, Hawaii this fall.

Desert Brush, acrylic on canvas, 15.5 in. x 19.5 in. $240
If you live in northern Michigan, enjoy free delivery in mid-December to skip the shipping fees on this piece. Select the *pick-up* option at checkout. 5% of all profits donated to MA‘O ORGANIC FARMS in Wai‘anae, Hawaii this fall.

Torrent, acrylic on canvas, 14 in. x 14 in. $180
If you live in northern Michigan, enjoy free delivery in mid-December to skip the shipping fees on this piece. Select the *pick-up* option at checkout. 5% of all profits donated to MA‘O ORGANIC FARMS in Wai‘anae, Hawaii this fall.

Sturgeon Moon, acrylic on canvas, 16 in. x 20 in. $350, available for pick-up in northern Michigan, 5% of all profits donated to MA‘O ORGANIC FARMS in Wai‘anae, Hawaii this fall.

Nightfall, acrylic on canvas, 20.5 in. x 20.5 in. $375, available for pick-up in northern Michigan, 5% of all profits donated to MA‘O ORGANIC FARMS in Wai‘anae, Hawaii this fall.

Spooky Halloween Drawings, 2 for $35 (includes shipping) DM to order. 4 in. x 4 in.

spooky halloween fall scene — Scour your local thrift store for Halloween costume ideas for big + small (or your parents closets). Make a family day out of it. In the U.S. it’s cool to thrift and craft unique costumes. And because it takes some time and forethought, we often spend the entire month of October on Halloween crafting traditions together - little by little. Reuse forces slowing down and encourages creativity = contentment, not stress and fast fashion.

Getting Outside

Foraging!

A great excuse to pack a bag with your thermos of coffee, a few pumpkin muffins and head in to the woods. Find out what’s available for the picking in your area, including urban areas: Falling Fruit.org

foraged aronia berries — Chokeberries are high in fiber, vitamin C, and manganese

Wild blueberries are high in vitamin K1, vitamin C, manganese

foraged mushrooms — Chanterelle mushrooms: vitamins D, A, E, C, B1, B2 & beta-carotene

Femundsmarkanasjonalparken — The southernmost Sámi reindeer herds in Norway around Femundsmarkanasjonalpark

Need flowers for an event? Many flowers are shipped from far away places and take an incredible amount of pesticides and fertilizers to grow. Consider buying from your local farms and growers- choosing varieties that are in season. The idea of getting whatever we want whenever we want it has taken us away from a grounded, contented life with nature. Anxiety anyone? Ask your local florist which blooms come from your area in the spring, summer, and fall. Some of my favorites in Michigan are: Open Sky Farm, Lucky Clover Farm, Two Sisters Flower Farm, Bloom and in Norway: Stallanvik If you’re in the innlandet area of Norway, from time to time I can be persuaded to do floral design. I use a combination of foraged, home-grown, & seasonal blooms. Take contact to order!

In closing, we’re all weird barbie. Happy Fall!

Katie BrinesAugust 30, 2023fall in michigan, pumpkin ideas, pumpkin seed ideas, fall at the farm, fall farms, fall decor ideas, fall foraging, fall harvest, local flower farms, local farms, local fall bounty, fall bountyComment

Fall 2021

The leaves are starting to change colors, the air is beginning to have that familiar crispness to it, and the school children are riding by on their bikes on the way to school. It’s September and I can’t help but become nostalgic for fall traditions from my childhood growing up in Michigan. From the smell of walking into the house after school to find my Mom harvesting and preserving apples, corn, or plums. To the sound of fallen leaves underfoot as I jump into a big pile of leaves. I love when seasons change and in particular, the coziness of the harvest season. Here are a few creative Fall things to celebrate as we usher in the Autumnal Equinox on September 22nd, marking the official arrival of Fall. 🍂

In the garden + kitchen

Karelian Borscht from Food52.com

comforting & nourishing

I made this Ukrainian beet soup with beets and carrots from the garden after a persistent cold and it was just what the doctor ordered. I followed the above recipe on Food52 loosely, substituting red table wine for the red wine vinegar and skipping the sausage. The finished product was warm, earthy, a little sweet, and deliciously creamy with some sour cream on top. The recipe made a generous weeks-worth of soup for two, so we added some portions to the freezer to pull out when we don’t feel like cooking this winter. Håper det smaker:)

BONUS! If you have a garden or, can get beet and carrot tops you can make a tasty pesto using the leftover tops from the borscht recipe above.

Beet & Carrot Top Pesto:

in a food processor combine:

beet and/or carrot tops
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp. pine nuts (if you have them)
a small handful of grated hard cheese (parmigiano, pecorino, whatever you have)
a squeeze of lemon
a generous amount of olive oil (use the amount needed to blend the pesto into a smooth consistency, then add a little more because it should have a little layer of olive oil on top)
salt

I used the pesto as the sauce for a shrimp & corn penne pasta dish. Take care to gently fold in the pesto once everything is cooked and off of the heat so as to maintain that beautiful, bright green color of the pesto.