Fall Equinox (9.22.22) marks the first day of fall, when day and night are the same lengths, ushering us towards winter. As the days shorten, light wanes and the earth invites us to slow down and find balance. Transformation begins, accented by striking changes to our environments. In forests, decaying leaves, needles, cones, and organic matter pad the ground and will eventually break down into the soil. Readying for hibernation, earth dwellers prepare burrow, some stowing away the season’s bounty for colder months.

As earthly things shift form, fall invites us to reflect on the changes we’ve observed in previous seasons and the transformations we seek. In nature’s regenerative cycles, decomposition is critical: death clears the way for new life to emerge. Perhaps this is why the season has historically been associated with the shift into darkness and with honoring the dead. The greater cycles of deconstruction necessary for Spring’s rebirth commence. Halloween is the secularized vigil of All Saints Day, a Christian tradition of honoring saints that is speculated to fall on November 1 in order to coincide with the tradition of honoring the dead within Samhain, a Celtic festival of harvest. In New Orleans, Halloween, All Saints Day, and Day of the Dead are celebrated through ceremonies, parades, concerts, feasts, and community altars featuring photos, food offerings, and bright marigolds, amongst a myriad of other seasonal specimens and details.

Fall festivals and gatherings celebrate community relationships and the final abundant harvests before winter—and farms are especially active in these. Haybale rides, warming up around firepits, apple cider or apple butter-making parties, pumpkin picking, or carving are fun ways to connect with community and family this season. Autumn’s harvest is indeed hardier and stores longer than summer’s—root vegetables like sweet potatoes, parsnip, carrots, and turnips; varieties of squash and pumpkins; corn, beans, peppers, hearty brassicas, and cabbage – which store well and last long. Fall foods nourish and ground us, and herbs fall in suit. Heartier spices and herbs like burdock root, astragalus or reishi, dandelion root help us prepare for the cold. Our bodies tend to crave warmth this time of year: layers, good company, and warming foods, which are easy to digest in fall. Experiment with broths, stews, and warming spices and herbs – like ginger, coriander, sage, rosemary, clove, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg in your cooking. What stokes your inner fire? Fall is a lovely time to revisit routines for self- and community- care. You might host a soup potluck, fire-cider-making party, or make a new hot drink as a treat to start your day.

If you’re gardening through fall, the growing conditions vary across zones. Research your growing zone first to see what will survive the season, and if you can, look for storage varieties, which have been bred to be grown in the fall and stored in the winter. Ensuring active beds have adequate compost or covering unused beds or rows will help protect the soil health through the colder days.

In recent years, the American tradition of “Thanksgiving” has been revisited with a more critical lens, and many Americans have reframed or redefined what the holiday means to them. Recognized by some now as Thanksgrieving, replaced with “Friendsgiving,” or boycotted altogether by others, the tradition beckons us back to the first settlers of Plymouth, MA. To learn more about those early histories and the ways settlers connected with indigenous peoples of America, check out An Indigenous People’s History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz. Ultimately, the spirit of gratitude is abundant in this season – and it is a good time to give back. On Thanksgiving Day or another, see how you can give back to the community (volunteer at a local food bank or donate time or warm clothing to a shelter, see how local farmers, restaurants, or mutual aid funds are supporting historically oppressed communities in your area.)

As plant life prepares for transformation, we too can begin to identify what we wish to release, clear, and let go of internally this season. What is shifting within you – ready to be shed, this season? How can you design a routine or rhythm around rooting or slowing down? Play with simple rituals that have meaning to you – burning a smudge stick while you steep a homemade tea, pickling and preserving for winter, or collecting windblown treasures like pinecones and tree berries on a sunset hike— and discover your way of finding balance in transition.

• 1 small fresh burdock root, chopped

• 4-5 reishi mushroom slices

• 2 tbsp. fresh ginger

• 2 tbsp. cut cinnamon root (or 5-6 sticks)

• 2 tsp fennel seeds

• 1 tsp black pepper

• 1 tbsp. cardamom pods

• 1 quart water

1. Combine everything in stock pot.

2. Cover with water and bring to a boil.

3. Reduce to low heat and simmer for about an hour.

4. Strain and enjoy with cream, coconut and a little raw honey!