This is my absolute favorite time of year. There's just something about the brisk air, the rich palette of falling leaves, and the sudden preponderance of apples and pumpkins that makes me want to throw on a cozy sweater and start getting my hands dirty. Gardening, cooking, and crafting, often pushed aside during the summer season in favor of lounging in the sun, become my passions all over again. If nothing says fall to you like the scent of cinnamon and cloves wafting through the kitchen, the feel of heavy hand-dyed wool on your needles, or a thick mulch on your garden beds, these books are for you.
The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook, by Rachel Saunders
Whether you're trying to hold onto the last taste of summer tomatoes or welcoming the deep, spiced flavors of the cooler season, there's a recipe here for you. Stunning photographs complement simple directions for creating seasonal jams, preserves, marmalades, and fruit butters. Just reading about the Brandied Red Cherry Conserve, overflowing with candied citron, currants, almonds, and plum brandy, makes my mouth water. You can also peruse other canning books.
Two of my favorite fall activities, fiber-crafting and festival-hopping, are all rolled up into one fabulous reading experience! Each festival features stories chock full of local color, photos, at least one pattern, and even some extras, like recipes. Many patterns are fairly complex, but even the ones you might not attempt are inspiring and a joy to look at. If you're a knitter specifically, you might also enjoy another nifty fall-friendly mash-up, Jane Gottelier's Knitting and Tea.
Fall Scaping : extending your garden season into autumn, by Nancy J. Ondra and Stephanie Cohen
This colorful book's imaginative yet practical plans and copious photographs will send you running to your garden. It covers things to do in the garden right now, as well as what you can do all year to have a garden that really shines in the autumn. The authors focus mostly on ornamentals, so if you're a veggie gardener, you may also want to take a look at some of our books on vegetable gardening in the Midwest.
Other fun fall topics are gourd art, seasonal cooking , and holiday decorating.
Submitted by Audrey @ Central
