Potager Field Notes : Autumn Equinox

As the days shorten and the crisp fall air settles over our studio, the transition in the garden becomes apparent. The blooming period has started to slow down and seed saving has begun. Our little business has grown so much over the past couple of years that over the summer months we did a studio renovation and it is almost finished. I am so looking forward to more space!

Over the past few weeks I have been foraging for black trumpet mushrooms, and because this summer we actually had rain, there are plenty! While I am in the woods, I am also gathering the ingredients for my simmer spells including acorns, birch bark, pinecone, and maple seeds. I never come home without a full basket.

IN THE STUDIO
In the studio, Avery and I have been busy filling orders and catching up before the holiday markets begin. Every batch of our hand-poured soy candles is handcrafted from washing and wicking the jars, weighing the wax and fragrance, mixing it all together, pouring, curing, and labeling.

BOTANICAL FOLKLORE
Steeped in dark European myth, black trumpet mushrooms (Craterellus cornucopioides) have long carried a sinister reputation owed entirely to their shadowy, silhouette. In French tradition, they are hauntingly named trompettes des morts - "trumpets of the dead" - born from the belief that they grew where spirits had passed through the forest. They were believed to sprout at midnight within fairy rings making superstitious foragers hesitant to gather them despite their delicious flavour.

AUTUMN SKYWATCHING
As we approach the first day of Fall, the days are getting shorter and we have more time to stargaze at night. Keep an eye out for the Harvest Moon on September 26 and the bright October Orionids meteor shower.

IN THE GARDEN
Early autumn is dedicated to gathering the last ingredients of the year. We are gathering final cuttings of lemon balm, mint, calendula and chamomile before the first hard frost. Late September is the prime time for sowing winter crops like hardy greens and dry afternoons are the best time to collect seeds from dried zinnia and marigold heads to store in paper envelopes until next spring's thaw.