Fall has Arrived

Summer is never long enough for me. Today, marks the first day of fall. The autumnal equinox will occur at 10:21 this morning if you are in Eastern Daylight Time Zone in the United States. This is when the sun will be directly over the equator and the length of day and night will be almost equal across the globe. After this date in the northern hemisphere, the daylight hours will progressively shorten until the beginning of winter. Although I do feel ready to slow down a bit and turn my attention to things indoors, I love the long days of summer, the smell of cut grass, and the sound of insects at night. I know that my senses will be able to experience these things for a few more weeks, but change is in the air, even with our September temperatures being way above normal during the day and at night. This is most apparent with earlier sunsets and later sunrises. that signal it is time for harvesting and getting preparations together for winter.

With the end of summer comes the end of most of the garden's harvest. Last Friday was the Harvest Moon, the full moon closest to the fall equinox. It seemed that some animal, perhaps this deer (below) whose family makes regular trips across our lawn, took the name literally and devoured two out of my four sugar pumpkins.Since they had only fruited a few weeks before, they were mostly green, with just a tinge of orange.

Looking innocent here.

There were no signs of where this pumpkin went

Perhaps this one was too big to carry away

The survivor

I picked one (at right,) hoping it will ripen more inside, and left the remaining green one in the garden.  

One benefit of the shorter days of late summer and fall is that it encourages mushrooms to grow. While walking in the woods, I discovered a large growth of Laetiporus sulphureus, also called "chicken-of-the-woods." This specimen was fresh and perfect for picking.   Even though it is known as one of the "foolproof four" I will add the warning that all mushroom books and websites have - which is to never consume any part of a mushroom without certainty of its identification. This article from Cornell University provides a good description of this species, including warnings about variaties of Laetiporus which can be poisonous. Species that grow on eucalyptus (L.  gilbertsonii) or conifer trees (L. huroniensis and L. conifericola) should not be consumed.

Laetiporus sulphureus or "Chicken of the Woods"

Another precaution is that when eating a new variety of mushroom for the first time, you should only consume a small amount, because even edible mushrooms can cause an allergic or adverse reaction in some people. This fungus gets its common name from the fact that when cooked, it resembles chicken in taste and texture. I find that the best way to prepare it is to simply fry it in butter. Below is some that I sauteed and then added to a salad. It was delicious.