A Pictorial Representation of Some of My Favourite Autumnal Things

I have the good fortune to work a mere two minutes away from an excellent market with lots of local produce, but even though the thought of visiting it during my lunch break crosses my minds several times a week, most days I don’t make it further than the staff room, where I immediately collapse on the couch. I’ve been in the mood for roast butternut squash soup since early September, though, so one day last week I finally motivated myself to head over. Here’s what I found:

(Let us pretend I didn’t think these were both butternut squashes instead of a pumpkin and a squash.)

And here’s the final result, which I couldn’t have been happier with — worth every second of the epic struggle to cut them in half for roasting:


I’d share the recipe, but my strategy in the kitchen has always been “throw things together and hope for the best”, and I’m beyond hopeless with measurements and quantities. I can tell you I used squash and pumpkin (which I roasted for about forty minutes before chopping them and adding them to the soup pot), one medium potato, and sautéed onion and garlic; and I seasoned it with salt, black pepper, a touch of cumin, and copious amounts of smoked paprika. I’m generally a fan of smoked paprika, but I think it goes particularly well with the flavour of butternut squash. The result was one deliciously creamy and smoky soup, perfect for the chilly day.


Also, I decided to try my hand at roasting and spicing the pumpkin’s seeds, and eep, I had no idea they’d be this delicious. I had to put them away or else I wouldn’t have been able to stop eating them. I had about half a cup and kept dipping into it throughout the day, but I’m pleased to say I managed to save some for a salad.

My second cooking project for the day was apple crumble — this time not with apples from the market, but from my garden’s very own tree.


I don’t know if the unusually warm summer has made this a particular good year or what, but I can’t get over how amazing my apple tree is. I didn’t even notice it when I first moved into this house, but we’ve been getting loads and loads of apples. Not only that, but they’re delicious: juicy, very fragrant and incredibly sweet. I know next to nothing about apple varieties, so of course I haven’t been able to identify them. Do any experts out there have thoughts?


The essential ingredient:




And here’s the finished crumble, served with a dollop of cream:


Moving on to other favourite autumn weekend activities, here’s the book I need to finish writing about and the place where I intend to do it:


..and the many, many books I mean to start next:


But I can't do either without a steaming mug by my side.


Meanwhile, just outside my window:


I think it's safe to say that my end-of-summer blues are over. Have a great Sunday, everyone.