In the not-too-distant past, all Americans were homesteaders. Our ancestors came here voluntarily or not, but all faced the prospect of surviving here. It's what made us able to fight a lop-sided war against the English Empire and win, along with a little help from our allies.

Autumn seems to be the time I reflect on this. There's nothing like an upcoming winter to encourage me to count up what we have right now. Will it get us through the snow/ice/cold?

We've used wood to heat our barns, greenhouse, and home since 2010. We recently planted a small grove of locust trees which will provide us with more wood in the coming decades. Plus, the wood comes in handy when it's time to boil that maple sap down to maple syrup! Last maple season, it took 55 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup.

In the autumn, I often see bluebirds, wild turkeys, and hawks -- I think the bluebirds are on their way south. Our peak foliage is usually Columbus Day weekend but this year it seems to be a few days later. Soon I'll harvest turmeric from the greenhouse, and if I have time, I'll make Autumn Olive Fruit Leather from our prolific Autumn Olive bushes.

Of course, no autumn would be complete without the crazy scramble of school, sports, and fall festivals and fundraisers. I wonder if we couldn't just move a few of these to January? When there's nothing to do?

Fall is also the time to plant garlic bulbs (and other flower bulbs), harvest ginger and turmeric, dig potatoes and get them in the root cellar. Many livestock farmers will take their animals to slaughter so they aren't feeding and watering them all winter. The most homesteading time of year!