It's time for Fall!!

Creating a Fall mentality at the end of Spring.

Or at least time for fall gardens. It’s June 11th, sounds crazy right? Well the thing is, now is the time to planning out your fall gardens. And for some plants like leeks and Pumpkin, it’s time to begin seeding now.

I planted leek seeds last week, and I am beginning my pumpkin seeds today. We all know that Halloween is the major consumer time for pumpkin in the United States, and if you want them harvested in time to sell for that creepy night, most varieties, including Connecticut Field Pumpkin and Jack-O-Lantern need to be seeded THIS WEEK!

Our collective love of fall

While we do harvest beginning a few weeks ago, and throughout the summer, Autumn is the season that is typically associated with the harvest. My wife and kids are Messianic Jews, and tonight at sunset begin Shavout, the feast of weeks, the feast of Pentecost, among other names. It’s also called the feast of first harvest. So there are a few cultures that give glory t0 the late spring harvest, though not many. Why is that?

My theory is that for millennia our ancestors has looked to winter as a time of death and starvation. A time of darkness and uncertainty. Even a time of fear. And while we no longer have to worry about getting food during the darkest days of winter in the western world, we still carry those traditions of the past with us. Those genetic memories. Think about what we harvest in the fall. Mostly gourds. Nature provided us with a thick skinned fruit that is capable of staying fresh and edible for months after harvest. Enough months to get us through to spring when the world comes alive once more.

I’ve used Pumpkins in June that I harvested the previous October. Cool, dark, and dry is how to store these things for longevity. Cool, dark, and dry, kind of describes the weather in winter doesn’t it? The skin needs to be unpierced as well, that’s it greatest defense. Sure we have veggies that will grow over winter such as kale, which I have grown in the snow before when I lived back home in Appalachia. But our main plant source comes from our fall harvest. Apples, pumpkins, butternut squash, dark honey, corn, grapes, etc. It’s engrained in us as a people to the point that when I names all of those items, most of you automatically added some cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar to them and tasted fall for just a moment in your minds.

It’s our most celebrated time of year. We have fairs and festivals, most of our Holidays. People spend hours driving just to see the leaves change colors. There are statistically more family get togethers and friend group outings. Something about the warm days and cool crisp evenings that excite something inside of us. And it’s no different for the Homesteaders, and it may even be even more exciting for them.

Fall is a homesteaders best friend

Most homesteaders make their living off of veggie sales, and hand made crafts. We started in 2016 selling soap. Just the amount of soap sellers out there is almost ridiculous at times. But come fall comes all of the festivals. It comes time for the homesteaders to gather up all their crafts and goods they’ve worked so hard on all year and head to the market booth.

Unlike in the 70’s when the homesteading movement was getting going, there has been a societal shift recently, especially since 2020, in people desiring handmade and home crafted items. We’re coming into an era of wider appreciation for things done the old ways. And the marvelous opportunity for the homesteaders is, most do not want, or could not live this lifestyle. Thy want a taste of it without giving up the modern luxuries that comes with the 21st century.

Making money on the homestead in Fall.

This comes back to what we just talked about, the desire of the masses to live