About Cold Dew
October 8 - 22
The world, the sky, the light is aglow. Everything seems to burst with richness and bounty. These next two weeks are some of the prettiest of the year, greens ripening to jubilant orange as we journey from mid to high autumn. Seasonal displays adorn porches and storefronts, and a simple romp through a forest refreshes you in the wonder of the season. Leaves unveil autumnal tints of scarlet, roasted pumpkin, and inky purple – colors that we wait for all year. Alluring berries, haws, and hips wink at you from the shadows. This is a season of bounty. Stop. Savor it.
Cold Dew
Podcast Episode
Alexis and Kit take an autumn walk in this episode, "Cold Dew." What autumnal surprises await as they wander through the apple orchard and the pumpkin patch? Will they make it back to the kitchen before October mist sets in? In Hiro's Corner, we take a delightful look at an unusual seasonal transformation.
Click here for poems & songs featured in this episode.
Words of the Season
In the Sky
Autumn Sky
Sparrows Turning into Clams
Migrating Geese
Gloom and Mist
In the Ground & Water
Acorns
Bell Crickets
Apples
Pumpkins and Pumpkin Patvhes
Sweet Potatoes
Pomegranates
Chrysanthemums
In Our Lives
Autumn Appetites
Sweater Weather / Nochi no Koromogae
Method for Roasting Pumpkin Seeds
First, wash the seeds. Remove most of the pumpkin strings and pat the seeds dry with paper towels. Coat the inside of a bowl with butter or egg white then toss the seeds with ½ teaspoon of salt for each cup of seeds. Spread the seeds over a cookie sheet and roast them in a 250 F oven, stirring frequently until brown (approximately 15 to 30 minutes). Let them cool before eating.
Recommended
Reading
If you have apples on the mind, At the Edge of the Orchard by Tracy Chevalier, is for you.
All this talk of pumpkins will leave you Squashed by Joan Bauer
Who knew mushrooms could be so central to a plot? Find out how in the melancholy melody which is Ghost Music by An Yu
Want to learn a bit more about the fascinating world of apples? Take a bite out of Apples of North America: A Celebration of Exceptional Varieties by Tom Burford
A classic essay of the season, Autumnal Tints by Henry David Thoreau