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Seasonal homemaking is the desire to live in sync with nature and bring the current season deeper into our homes and lives. Summer has passed, and now we are looking for ways to feel cozier and embrace the brisk, fall weather. We can finally surround ourselves with pumpkins, drink warm apple cider and watch the leaves change. In this post, I share 9 ways to infuse the Autumn season into our homemaking.

Autumn is a specific season for those of us in the northern hemisphere that experience all 4 seasons. The evenings get cooler and the sun starts setting earlier. Sweatshirts and cozy socks come out of storage. Leaves start changing into vibrant red and gold colors. The smell of delicious stews, homemade bread and cookies waft through our kitchens because we want to put our ovens on again.

As a New Englander born & raised that now lives in Pennsylvania, I have always lived in a 4 season location. Honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s ingrained in me. I love how each season has different qualities. They all go together so perfectly. Each has it’s lessons and time table.

Autumn is the time to harvest what we’ve sown for the year; whether that is literally crops and gardens, or to bring through to fruition tasks and projects. It’s a busy but exciting time. We finally get to enjoy the work that we have done throughout the year. It is a time of change and letting go. A time of final preparations and finishing tasks before winter.

How do we specifically revel in beautiful Autumn? Here are a few different ways to do just that.

autumn jackolanterns outside on porch in evening
pumpkin seeds on cookie sheet

Carve Jack-O-Lantern’s & Roast the Pumpkin Seeds

Carving jack-o-lanterns is something I’ve done since I was a kid. I really wanted to start this as a family tradition for my new little family as well. So last year, my husband and I bought pumpkins from a neighbor down the street and made the jack-o-lanterns pictured. It was so much fun!! I did the more traditional one of the left and my husband made the middle one for our son and the owl one on the right. Not only is this activity fun and engaging, displaying these on your porch for Halloween is a great way to add seasonal homemaking flair.

I love roasting the pumpkin seeds after making my jack-o-lanterns, too.

First, rinse the pumpkin seeds off and get most of the pumpkin stringy stuff off. Then pat them semi-dry with a paper towel and put them into a bowl. I add a little salt and mix it a bit to coat them evenly. Then lay them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake the pumpkin seeds at 350 degrees until they are roasted to your liking. Flip them about half-way to make sure they roast on each side. That’s about it. So yummy!

There are also other toppings you can add to them, too. You can make them sweet by adding cinnamon sugar. You can even make them spicy with a touch of cayenne pepper with the salt.

Make Foods like Soup & Stew with In-Season Vegetables

There is nothing like fresh, seasonal, homemade food to bring seasonal homemaking into your home. Use Seasonal Food Guide. Org to check your specific local area for what is in-season. On this website, you can even break it down by beginning and end of month, all year long.

Traditionally though, we think of root vegetables (like potatoes, carrots, pumpkins) and corn.

One recipe that I have always loved to make at this time of the year is North African Pumpkin Stew. I have used this recipe for over 10 years and it’s still one of my top five favorites ever. So that’s saying a lot. I’ve also used sweet potato in this recipe instead of the pumpkin or in combination with pumpkin and it has come out wonderfully as well.

Go Apple Picking or Pumpkin Picking

Apple Picking has always been a favorite of mine because growing up in New England, I did this every year. Honestly, It’s hard to imagine Autumn without it!

Check out local orchards and farms to see if they allow picking your own. Not only is the activity fun and a way to enjoy the season, but it is a great way to bring seasonal homemaking into your home as well.

Once you get the apples or pumpkins home, display them!

A beautiful pile of fresh, local apples in the middle of your kitchen table is like Autumn in a nutshell. Who needs the fake stuff when you can display the real thing. One plus is that it doesn’t have to be stored away in bins at the end of the season. It will get eaten instead!

girl in tree picking apples

You can make apple or pumpkin pies and other yummy desserts if you really have a bunch of them.

One option you can try is making homemade apple sauce.

You can use this Crockpot Applesauce | No Sugar Added recipe by my friend over at Tulips & Twill if you enjoy an unsweetened applesauce or try her second recipe to sweeten with juice only.

If you prefer a honey sweetened apple sauce, you can use this recipe for Honey Sweetened Applesauce by my friend at Rosehips & Honey.

Get out Your Cold Weather Gear and Buy Any Clothes Needed Now

As homemakers, we prepare our families for the seasons with the right clothing they need. It is a vital part of seasonal homemaking.

Unfortunately, it’s no secret that stores carry the coming seasons way ahead of time. It never made sense to me, living in a 4 season location, because they would be selling bathing suits in March when the wind was still howling and snow could still happen any day.

So as you take out your family’s cold weather gear, look it over and note if any thing needs to be mended or replaced.

This is especially true for little ones who outgrow things fast. I got my son’s winter coat, snow pants, boots & hat all put together and ready to use. All I have left to buy him are mittens. When that first cold day comes, he will be prepared.

During the life season of pregnancy and early motherhood, wardrobes are hard. Our bodies change so much, that you may find yourself needing to replace a lot of pieces of your wardrobe each year. But the good thing is, maternity made me realize that I didn’t really need that much. Get some neutral, warm items that will go with everything. And only buy for this winter, and just buy what you really need.

By buying now, you get first picks on product colors and sizes. Plus, you don’t have to go scrambling at the last minute on that first really cold day of the season.

Note on buying end of season: for some, clearance items at the end of the season are a great way to save money but I’ve found that I end up buying the second best color or allow something to fit oddly and still buy it because it was on clearance. And sometimes with children, it’s hard to guess what size they will be a year from now. Personally, I think just getting the right pieces for the right time, at the beginning of the season is worth it.

campfire at night

Have a Campfire

Seasonal homemaking isn’t just about life inside your home. This can also translate to your entire property. If you have a safe place in your yard to do a campfire, this is such a cozy way to enjoy those brisk fall evenings. You get to unwind and connect with those special people in your life, all while seeing the night stars and being warmed up at the same time. It’s also a great way to relax after a long day, to just breathe and look at the fire.

We have a stone ring fire pit that my husband’s family made, but you can also buy a fire pit ring. Make sure that you are allowed to do this in your community first though. Check with town hall or local authorities.

Clean up the Garden Beds

Whether you had planted a vegetable garden this year, or have a bunch of perennial bushes and flowers through out your yard, end of season care is necessary. If you planted a garden, you pretty much know when your garden is done for season and do proper care for that.

It’s a bit different though when you have a bunch of perennials and maybe don’t even know what they are because they were planted before you lived there. In this case, try to identify the plants and then research their proper care. Some plants you take away all the dead growth and cut down near the base, other’s just need pruning to come back fuller next year.

These types of activities get you outside; enjoying the weather and getting into the dirt.

Then there are the leaves – be ready for raking season!

Make Warm Apple Cider in the Crock Pot

I love doing this. Using a slow cooker or an instant pot, pour the amount of apple cider you’d like into it. Put it on low setting for a few minutes to try and get it up to temperature. Then put a lid on it and put it on the warm setting. The aim is low and slow, you don’t want to boil it or anything like that. Just for it to be warm. The smell is heavenly! You can add a cinnamon stick or just have it as is. Mine is gone pretty quick!

Press Your Favorite Fall Leaves in a Book

Seasonal homemaking is about so much more than maintaining your home. It’s about bringing the season into your home and consequentially, your life. So activates are fun to do, especially if you have kids. Maybe make it into a game and everyone keeps an eye out for the first fall leaf of the season. You can save the leaf by pressing it into a book. To do this, let the leaf dry out a little first. After that, place the leaf between two pieces of paper or wax paper before putting it into a book. This will help prevent the leaf from damaging the pages of the book. Pick out a heavy book and put the leaf into it. Let it sit like that; the weight of the pages will flatten it. Do this overnight or a few days. Take it out of the book and use some mod podge to seal it. Then you can use it in crafts or frame it.

Decorate Your Home with Autumn

I really enjoying decorating my home for each of the 4 seasons, but Autumn has got to be my favorite. I like to keep my store bought decorations minimal; like seasonal wreaths and garden flags that I love, but try to keep it to just that. Instead, I incorporate items like real apples, pumpkins and items I can find outside my home like beautiful fall leaves and acorns to display. As my child gets older, we’ll do a lot of autumn themed crafts with natural resources together.

It’s a wonderful way to bring the outdoors in, and live seasonal homemaking.

A huge tip to keep in mind, based on my favorite seasonal homemaking book, Welcome Home by Myquilyn Smith, is that decorating doesn’t always mean using things you see. It could be the smell of fresh, homemade bread wafting through the air. Cozy blankets on the couch that you can feel warm under. A tasty bite into a fresh picked apple, because they were out on display and inviting. The sound of music playing through your home that makes you feel autumn vibes.

Check out my other Seasonal Homemaking Ideas Blog Posts

Seasonal Homemaking Ideas for Winter

Seasonal Homemaking Ideas for Spring

Want to read more about seasonal living in AUTUMN?