September is a month filled with garden harvests and the refreshing whispers of autumn. It is a month where we harvest shelling beans, sunflowers, goji berries, paw paw fruit, squash, cannabis, apples, herbs and sweet potatoes. As the cooler nights increase in (typically latter half of September) the Creator begins to paint the leaves with touches of vibrant red, yellow, purple and orange.
In September we will often bare witness to early senescence (with visually intense anthocyanin biosynthesis) initiating in a range of different Acer rubrum varieties in southern Ontario.
I never cease to be amazed and impressed by the way the genius of nature's graceful balance and geometry reveals itself in the autumn.
Each leaf has a story to tell about the season that is ending and they whisper of what has yet to come. Each and every leaf offering wisdom (to those who observe closely and listen to the language of the trees). Each magnificent brush stroke of the Creator that dances on the autumn breeze offering nourishment for the soul (to those willing to still their mind, be present in the moment and accept that gift with an open heart.)
This is a time that offers much nourishment for the body, mind and soul.
The following are some moments captured during the month of September through my lens.
asters close up
maple leaves beginning to show their autumn colors (from underneath)
close up of maple leaf from underneath
Just for fun, I think i`ll throw this in here ;)
bumblebee drinking aster nectar
Hokkaido Black Soy Beans ready to harvest for making edamame
Hokkaido Black Soy Beans ready to harvest as shelling beans
Hokkaido Black Soy Beans freshly harvested
Hokkaido Black Soy Beans
Hokkaido Black Soy Beans beginning to sprout (after soaking for 12 hours and being rinsed a few times)
close up of an individual wonton filling (including sprouted Hokkaido Black Soy Beans) before it was wrapped up
This is a recipe from my book called Vegetarian Wor-Wonton Soup with Sprouted Hokkaido Black Soy Beans (I will post the full recipe for this in a future post)
They are are type of Runner Bean (Phaseolus coccineus) which we grow in our garden. They are also known as "Nun" beans to the Q’eqchi’ Mayan people of Guatemala.
a close up of a Hopi Red Dye Amaranth flower at an ideal stage for harvesting mature seeds
This image shows how I like to separate the Amaranth seeds from the chaff using a replacement patio door screen draped over a large container. For more info read …
adding the freshly harvested sliced Malus sieversii (var. Starlight Blush) with some frozen ripe homegrown Service berries for making an experimental apple crisp
This is Wild Apple / Service Berry Crisp with a topping of local organic oats, homegrown golden giant amaranth flour, a bit of homemade maple sugar, diced organic butter, hemp hearts and puffed Hopi Red Dye Amarnath seeds (before going into the oven)
Starlight Blush / Service Berry Crisp with a topping of organic oats, hemp hearts and puffed Hopi Red Dye Amarnath seeds (and a scoop of vanilla plant based ice cream)
close up of a young cannabis flower beginning to produce trichomes
close up of a young cannabis flower expressing anthocyanin
seeds beginning to form in a pollinated cannabis flower. For more information on why allowing cannabis plants to be pollinated is beneficial and how we like to include this nutritious plant in our diet read..
super close up of a Peruvian Gold Berry in (what was) its papery husk. The husk had started to break down as it sat on the soil surface. Thank you soil organisms for revealing this beautiful fractal geometry for us!
super duper close up of a Peruvian Gold Berry husk that had started to break down as it sat on the soil surface. Thank you soil organisms for revealing this beautiful fractal geometry for us!
harvesting some Egyptian walking onion bulbs for pickling
Paw Paw (Asimina triloba) fruit beginning to ripen up on our tree that was grown from seed
freshly harvested Paw Paw (Asimina triloba) fruit with Hopi Black Dye Sunflowers in background
freshly harvested ripe homegrown Paw Paw (Asimina triloba) fruit
freshly harvested ripe homegrown Paw Paw (Asimina triloba) fruit, cut in half (revealing the large seeds)
freshly harvested ripe homegrown Paw Paw (Asimina triloba) fruit (after being cut in half, de-seeded and is now ready to enjoy). The fully ripe ones are really interesting and vibrantly flavored. Like peach, passionfruit, mango and banana all rolled into one.
Paw Paw seeds
building a paw paw boat fruit salad
Paw Paw boat fruit salad. The tangy blueberries and slightly bitter freshly harvested Goji Berries are beautifully balanced by the sweet and smooth paw paw pulp and adding some organic pumpkin seed granola and hemp hearts brought some potent nutrition and delectable nuttiness to the experience. The inspiration for this scrumptious creation goes to my other half, thank you for the awesome idea my love!
Eastern White Pine cones at an ideal stage for harvesting seeds
If you are blessed to live near a white pine forest and are able to separate a substantial amount of seeds from some cones you not only have the ability to help yourself and others grow many trees that provide medicine, beauty and habitat for countless beings, you also have access to a nutrient dense food source (as white pine seeds are edible and extremely nutritious!). For more information on the many blessings offered by the Eastern White Pine read…
The following 5 pictures are close ups of Staghorn Sumac leaves at different stages of changing color in late September..
Monarch Butterflies waking up in the morning and warming up their wings after resting overnight at Point Pelee, Ontario as they begin to embark upon their epic migration southward across Lake Erie
harvesting medicinal herbs, heirloom chili peppers and tomatoes
homegrown cold hardy figs, chili peppers and goji berries
oak tree in late September at Wheatley Provincial Park, Ontario
birch tree in late September on the Bruce Peninsula, Ontario
When cold winds coming off Lake Huron light up the larch trees with a vibrant gold color you know that October is just around the corner!
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Ok that is it for me today! I hope you enjoyed that little flashback to the moments I have experienced in the month of September which I found to be nourishing to my spirit.
I wish you a productive, hopeful, inspiring, healing, invigorating and joyful remainder of October my friends.
Gorgeous images of abundance and love!
Yay new background photos! I picked one of fall foliage, the monarch close-up and the dragonfly.