Memories of the Fall

For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering together.
For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad.

– Edwin Way Teale

Autumn was a time for deep introspective thoughts and recovery. We had just emerged from the dark days following Hurricane Ike, and I was feeling gloomy. A lot of conflicting internal dialogs took place during the following months. I questioned the quality of my life, the changes that we had embraced since we started this journey and the reasons and motivations behind the decisions that took us here.

There was a point when I felt I was ready to give up. After the storm, a week without electricity and food had made a lasting dent in my psyche. Adrian, whom I had thought was the most likely to break down in situations like this, was the pillar that held us together. He supported me through every one of those difficult times.

Once we move past those dreadful days, life started looking a little brighter. The change in season brought a new palate of colors, textures and flavors to enjoy. It was a wonderful time to experience the market – the cooler weather brought out many people and each vendor seemed ready to roll out new surprises every week. Seeing and trying the different varieties of gourds, pumpkins, carrots, eggplant and radishes available felt like a splurge. Fuyu persimmons and pomegranates were our fruits of choice. We bought 6-8lbs. of persimmons every week to dehydrate, making our own dried fruit snacks. None of us could get enough of the sweet and tasty flavor.

We also visited some friends at their farms: Cas and Gita Vanwoerden at Animal Farm, Cathy Sullivan at Happy Heart Family Farm and Carlos Meltzer and Sharon Siehl who coordinate an elementary school garden at Recipe for Success...all fascinating people who are inspirational to our community.

Finally, we managed to escape to The Big Apple during Thanksgiving. We had a great time visiting museums, parks and landmarks. For our Thanksgiving meal we ate some delicious RAW food at Pure Luck Food and Wine restaurant, and we even got to talk to restaurateur Sarma Melngailis herself.

I was so inspired by Sarma and her philosophy on living foods that upon our return to Houston, I started to incorporate more raw dishes into our weekly menus. We can't get too experimental yet because we are limited by what is at the market, but it's safe to say that this family of carnivores is slowly transitioning to a more vegetarian diet.

A light, mid-December snow flurry helped us say farewell to autumn, and eased us into the winter season.

* Photo by Anna Katerina Arroyos.