I love autumn. I think it is possibly my most favorite season of all as the harvest takes center stage in one of nature’s grandest productions. Familiar textures and aromas tantalize the senses and the changing foliage turns the landscape into a riotous feast for the eyes. Vibrant mums, multi-colored pumpkins, and rustling cornstalks decorate doorways, while falling leaves dot neighborhood yards in confetti-like carpets of yellow, red, and brown. Feathery goldenrod and purple asters add a vivid splash of color to nearby fields. Within weeks the whole countryside takes on a golden hue.
We change also. October is the month when our focus turns to preparing our homes for the long winter months ahead. The colder temperatures draw the family inside, and the kitchen becomes the center of family comfort. Whether serving steaming pots of soup or pieces of thickly sliced bread, nurturing meals abound from the family table as autumn ushers forth.
The pears gathered at the end of September have finally ripened and pear butter time begins. Scurrying about like our squirrel friends burying nuts all over the yard, we hurry to “put up” our precious jars of preserves before the cold weather really sets in. With grateful hearts, we celebrate God’s provision as yet another amber colored jar of pear butter is added to the pantry shelf. Yes, autumn is a time when you surely reap what you have sowed, and sometimes what others have sowed, as well.
My children have learned the diplomatic art asking neighbors if they can pick unwanted fruit in trade for a jar of pear or apple butter. The neighbors couldn’t be happier to have the fruit serve a useful purpose, and the children couldn’t be happier to spread the rich gooey preserves on English muffins or toast. The remaining fruit that isn’t preserved will find its way to our tea table to be savored in sandwiches or deserts.
In this month’s tea cozy, we share a variety of tea sandwiches and desserts made with pears, the golden fruit of autumn. Enjoy these “pearfectly” delectable recipes and a cup of pear tea as you listen to this month’s tea cozy conversation with Linda Stubbs of Prairie Flower Farm. Linda shares about her family’s business venture as they participated in the Wichita Farmer’s market and God’s faithfulness in touching people’s lives through His bountiful provision.
We pray this installment of The Tea Cozy Club is a blessing to you as you settle back and enjoy a taste of autumn and an inspiring story for your spirit. We thank God for His abundant blessings as we celebrate the harvest together with you.
Affectionately,
Jill Novak and Family
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