There is a rhythm, a heartbeat that used to be a natural reality. One as easy as breathing, as familiar as our homes. Seasonality. We are blessed in Ireland that we still have four seasons — and when we are connected to the natural world, our bodies move happily and easily from one season to another. For me, though, this was not always the case. This is the story of how apples taught me to stop wishing the time away, and to start living with the season instead of against it.
Why October used to be hard for me
I hated the period from October to December each year. I found it tough and would use anything I could to distract myself. I know that I was reacting to the lower light levels, the colder, wetter weather, the longer evenings and all the while I was still trying to live as I do in spring and summer months. I wasn’t allowing my body to mimic and follow the natural world. I didn’t take my cues from the Sun, from the trees, from the birds. More importantly I didn’t take my cues from my own intuition. Instead I was following the conditioning of society, the constant fast pace, the reverence of being busy, the limited definition of a “successful” life being one that is linked to external validation.
What changed
But my body was telling me “no more.” So slowly slowly I started to listen. I slowed down, I tried different, slower ways of flowing with the season rather than distracting myself and fighting against the season. One thing that helped me was eating seasonally. That connected me to the natural cues more effectively than anything else. Apples, blackberries, warming autumn spices meant to be enjoyed right now.
If you’d like to slow down and start listening to your body, I host a space each month for Rooted Connection — a gentle space of guided meditation and living intentionally, according to your priorities and your joy. Our next gathering is Wednesday 28th October. You’re warmly welcome.
Apples, four ways
It started with me enjoying fresh apples off the tree — stewed for the morning porridge or in apple crumble and apple tarts. Each year I tried something new, freezing the stewed apples and freezing apple wedges ready to throw into the oven for an apple crumble filling. Then came the dehydrated apple slices. Then apple cider vinegar from apple scraps. Next I plan on trying to make apple butter and apple syrup. Watch this space. This will keep us going through to the spring months.
What you’ll need
Cooking and eating apples; a splash of water; sugar (swap your refined white sugar for raw cane sugar or even use real Irish honey instead); blackberries; parchment paper. And for the vinegar, apple peels and cores, water, and sugar.
How to make them
Stewed apples — core, peel and chop your cooking apples. Place them into a pot with a splash of water and some sugar (this is a personal taste thing — try a teaspoon per apple and adjust as you see fit) and cook over a medium heat for 15–20 minutes depending on how cooked you like them. Remember to save your cores and peels in the freezer for the vinegar.
Freeze apple wedges and blackberries — freeze your blackberries by washing them, laying them on parchment paper on a flat tray and freezing for a couple of hours, then tip them into a bag or a jar and keep them in the freezer so they won’t all clump together. Do the same with the cooking apples — peel, core and slice into wedges, place them on a tray and freeze, then store in a bag to use as needed.
Crumble topping — if you go to the bother of freezing the wedges and blackberries, go one step further and make a batch of crumble topping and freeze it. It’s an amazingly easy dessert option to have up your sleeve. I play around with a recipe from Nancy Birtwhistle and I prefer to use ratios — equal parts self raising flour and oats (say 350g each and also sometimes i mix self-raising flour and spelt flour) and then about 2/3’s of that in butter and sugar (around 200g) and a few teaspoons of autumn spices of your choice — cinnamon, mixed spice etc. Like any crumble mix, start by handmixing the flour, spices and butter until they look like breadcrumbs, then stir in the rest. Place in a container with a lid and keep in the freezer, using what you need when you need it. Easy!
Dehydrated apple slices — I am lucky to have a dehydrator but if you don’t have one, you can just use an oven on very low (about 60 celcius would be ideal). Wash, core and slice your eating apples, laying them on trays and dehydrate in the oven for 4-8 hours, turning them halfway. Best to do this with a big batch of apples to make the best use of the oven being on!
Apple cider vinegar — with your frozen apple peels and cores, just mix them with water and sugar (its about 2tbsp sugar to 1litre of water so if you make less add less etc) in a large jar, close the lid and give it time. Remember to burp (release the gases!) and stir every day for about 2 weeks. Then strain and bottle and voila!
A closing thought
Working with the apples now keeps me grounded and rooted in this season, in this moment rather than wishing the time away. And my body responds to that — I feel calmer, more able for these months. So how can we learn to flow with changing seasons rather than fight against it? We find things rooted in each season that grounds us, that lights us up and brings joy or peace or maybe even both. For right now, that’s the apples. With all of these small changes, you’re showing up for yourself and calming your system.
An apple in season, preserved with care, is a small act of defiance against the idea that food should be available fresh always and mean nothing.
With all of these small changes, you’re showing up for yourself and calming your system. We are meant to live with the seasons — this is so hardwired into our systems that even the modern day reduction of time into some ubiquitous free-for-all doesn’t erase the primal response we have when we appreciate and observe and acknowledge the seasons. Once you start living more slowly, more intentionally, it feeds into everything you do.
Slow and steady and always with intention.
Until next time,
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