Fall is a tie between spring for favorite seasons, for many reasons!
Growing up in south central Pennsylvania, I have some really great memories of fall as a kid. In the Appalachian mountain area, there was a festival called the Apple Harvest Festival that my mom and I would go to every year. There they had people from all over who sold their artwork, their crafts, there was all this delicious food like kettle corn, sweet potato fries, and all things pumpkin and of course, apple. Apple juice, apple cider, apple pies, candied apples, caramel dipped apples, apple dumplings. And there was always a few local bands who played the music of Pennsylvania Appalachia, who were always dressed in dirty flannel and hole ridden overalls. They had their banjos and their fiddles and they played til they couldn't play anymore.
As much as I poke fun at my hometown and its surroundings, I really do miss it! I love the nature there. Each season has a different and distinct smell. Spring is full of flowers and new growth, winter is icy and smells like snow, summer smells like...tar from all the construction, and fall...ah, fall. It smells like rotting leaves that have fallen from the trees after their beautiful show of foliage, it smells like the coming cold of winter. I promised myself that if I ever have kids (and even if I don't), I'll move somewhere north to settle down, if settling down is something I can handle. Recently we tossed northern California into the options of ''affordable, liberal places to live'', along with Seattle, Portland, Madison, Ann Arbor, Boston, Philly, and Burlington.
Yeah. I know.
Not THAT affordable.
Currently we are residing in Austin, TX where it is most certainly liberal and since we are staying with my parents until we can save some money which is affordable, it's south.
And south equals hot.
The fall that I know is cold mornings and chilly nights with nippy day time sandwiched in between, longer night hours and the sun starts it's descend around 3pm. Pumpkin pies and apple cider are served in a kitchen with dried corn and gourd decorations and smiling jack-o-lanterns.
I love that fall.
So in honor of the fall that I love so much, I've created a recipe for a warming autumn soup that is rich in flavor, nutrients, and the colors that reflect this beautiful season!
Fall Soup:
1 fruit of a small pumpkin
2-3 sweet potatoes/yams (let's face it, there really is no difference), unpeeled
3 carrots, peeled
1 - 1 1/2 cans of coconut cream (I use Coco Lopez)
2 green onions
Salt and pepper to taste
So here's what ya do:
Throw the pumpkin, carrots, and sweet potatoes into a pot of boiling water and cook until they're super tender.
After that, drain and throw them into a blender or food processor, whichever is bigger in your case. Add the coconut cream and blend.
The consistency should be kind of thick, but soupy enough to be well...soup.
Chop up the green onions and lay those puppies on top of the soup and enjoy.
I don't have any pictures of it now, but it's orange with little green things on top.
Use your imagination.
Anyway, I love that for fall, especially eating it outside on a chilly evening, watching the steam roll off the bowl as a breeze flows by, accompanied by warm apple cider!
Anyone else love the fall season, too? What's your favorite part about it? Mine is the food, colder weather, and of course, HALLOWEEN!!!!
Love & Light,
DNB
