Fall is a wonderful season anywhere in the world. In my opinion, the Northeast especially shines in the Fall, showing its true colors. After spending the Summer on the beaches of Cape Cod, Nantucket, Maine, and Martha’s Vineyard, we New Englanders return home and welcome the crisp that lingers in the air, happily saying goodbye to the humidity until next year. The leaves start to turn, at first just dotting the trees with a few red and golden hues here and there, and then suddenly it looks as if they have been set afire with the most beautiful reds, oranges, golds, and ambers before they fall (all too soon!) and crunch beneath our feet. The smells of Fall are wonderfully comforting. You know what I’m talking about - when you walk outside and you smell that mixture of fresh air, crunching leaves, and a fire in the distance, and you just know that Fall is here. Before we have to hunker down for a long, cold winter out here on the East Coast, we try to spend as much time outdoors as possible. Lucky for us, there is so much to do! And even luckier yet, every quintessential Fall activity is accompanied by the perfect autumnal snack. Apple picking is an all-time favorite – from finding the perfect ones to snack on to choosing others to make hearty applesauce and warm apple pie. A successful day at the pumpkin patch is best rewarded with a trip to the corn maze followed by a box of cider donuts. We locals can’t blame the “leaf-peepers” who come from all over, flocking to the mountains to get a glimpse of those gorgeous Fall leaves. Once you’ve seen Vermont and New Hampshire in October, you understand the need to crawl at a snail’s pace on the highway and take it all in. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, and I would suggest doing so with a Thermos of hot apple cider and a loaf of pumpkin bread. My favorite thing to do in the Fall? I love to throw on a puffy vest and a scarf, grab a cup of pumpkin coffee, and go for a walk. Whether in the city or the mountains, Fall is my favorite time to get outside and enjoy the scenery. What I love most about Fall is the food. Soups, pies, roasted root vegetables – Fall food has a certain satisfying comfort unlike any other season. After all, the first signs that Fall has arrived are in the produce section of the grocery store. Apples from local farms arrive by the bushel, summer berries give way to squash of every shape and size, and bumpy gourds and pumpkins line the entry way.
FAL L 2012
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