Page 11 Fall Home & Garden | September 2023 Lincoln Daily News As the fairs end and the kids get back into the swing of school, the corndogs, cotton candy, funnel cakes and endless lemon-aid shake-ups are still hanging out around our waistline. As we head into the fall months many of us look forward to the smell of raspberry cobbler, pumpkin bars and zucchini bread, apple cider slushies and cream cheese pound cake with praline caramel sauce. Autumn means so much more than finally getting back to the routine of school and opening the windows, it’s about the colors of the trees, the smell of the bonfires, the decorated front doors and walkways, the fleece hoodies and flannel jackets and of course, the fall foods. Fall is many people’s favorite time of year. It’s unknown exactly as to why, maybe because of the Halloween haunted houses and kids dressing up for trick or treat. Perhaps it’s an indication of the start of the holiday shopping season or maybe because it’s more acceptable to eat less healthily because we wear more clothes to hide our bodies a little more. Regardless, it’s a time to get out of the summer slump and spruce up the house, yard, and yourself and enjoy fall in a multitude of ways. And what better way than to preserve and enjoy some of those fall foods? Like all seasons, there are many varieties of fall specific foods that can be used in so many ways. Although many gardens planted in the spring or summer are harvested in early to middle fall, this is also the peak season for certain fall fruits and veggies that are the main feature at many season-specific festivals. As the temperatures start to cool down, and the days get shorter and the nights get longer, the kitchens are heating up. Folks are eager to fill the cupboards and freezer with cookies, bread, and garden vegetables. Canning and freezing garden foods and herbs is an excellent way to plan for meals on those cold winter nights. One of the most popular is the preserving of sweet corn. Though done different ways, and often time consuming, when the thought of shucking another ear of corn is disturbing, think about having hot, buttered corn that tastes just like it was picked from the stock on the winter dinner table makes it all worth while. The tomatoes that are canned and stored on the shelf make a great chili. The pickles and zucchini relish are a great way to dress up a hamburger in March. Dried herbs, garlic and horseradish harvested in late fall will come in handy for that Easter ham. The potatoes harvested from their mounds of soil are always a great surprise as we discover how big they really got. Those homegrown spuds make great additions to soups, eggs, and roasts. It doesn’t matter if they are baked, fried, mashed, raw for a snack, when they are home grown they just taste better! Freezing fruits in the fall is easy and delicious and can be used all year long. If you have access to an apple tree, homemade red-hot applesauce is a wonderful treat with any meal, anytime of the year. Pears are also great to preserve in syrup to serve or baked. Although canning and preserving is a bit of work, pre-planning as much as possible with all the right tools and patience can lead to a fun way to show off your gardening abilities, not to mention the healthier choice and economic value. Continued --
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