Get Ready for Fall with Your 5 Senses

There are signs that Autumn is just about here. The kids are back in school, the days are shorter, and you can feel a little breeze in the air. It's a great time to start noticing the natural transformation and embracing your five senses to make your fall oasis. Here are five things that you can do to get all of your senses ready for fall.

1. Vision: Add the Fall Decor

Let the decorating begin with visuals around your kitchen and home! Start by changing your kitchen decor with Autumn colored napkins, leaf shaped napkin rings, earthy center piece, fall themed table runner, fall colored flowers with a neutral vase, a fun fall picture or a decorative calligraphy sign, and more. Decorating the room with warm colors will definitely get you into the season.

2. Taste: Baskets of Fruits and Veggies

Make sure to load up on the fall fruits and veggie favorites and have them out in either a basket or a bowl. You can get things like  apples, pears, mini pumpkins, berries and cherries,  corn, squash, eggplants, and more. These will provide natural colors into your kitchen, but make you want to have healthy snacks which will make your taste buds get into the season. I also challenge you to try new recipes for dinner with some of these fruits and vegetables.

3. Smell: Burn those Candles and Bake On

The temperature is about to get a little more chill at night. Get a little warmer by bringing out fun candles. Gravitate towards candles with warm colors like brown, gold, red, yellow, orange, and white which will fill the room with fall. Look for fragrances like pumpkin Chai,  cinnamon apple, frosted cranberry,  vanilla birch, and autumn leaves. Baking more will also bring yummy smells into your home. Try baking a pies, bread, corn bread, cinnamon rolls, and more.

4. Touch: Settle Ways to Feel Fall

This sense is one that we least think about and is more settle. Think about opening your window to feel the colder breeze go through your hair. You can place fall themed rugs on the floor to keep your toes warmer. This will keep the floors free from the crunchy leaves and dirt that comes from outside.  Bring out your favorite house slippers or fuzzy fall socks as another layer of warmth in your home. Or turn on the fireplace to feel the warmth of the log burning.

5. Hearing: Get the Family Together

Again, opening the window will provide you also with the touch of the wind, but also the sounds of fall. You will hear animals making noises and trees moving in the wind and is a natural way of bringing Autumn in from outside. But the big way to hear fall is to have dinner together at the table. Fall is all about bringing family and friends together; what better way to do that by having dinner together. The sound of the kids playing right before you sit down, the laughter of a joke, and the storytelling  throughout your meal.  Togetherness is the real spirit of Autumn!

When you do all of these things, you will definitely get into the spirit of the season. Take a few moments tonight and throughout fall to gather the family together and enjoy every aspect of fall.

Keep Fruits and Veggies Fresh Longer With These Handy Tips

Keeping fresh produce in the house for meals and snacking is a great way to stay healthy, but it can be hard to use them before they lose their freshness. Storing your fruits and vegetables properly can help to increase their freshness and taste, not to mention help you save money. Here are a few helpful hints for properly storing your fruits and veggies to get the most life out of them!

Bananas- Nothing like a delicious, potassium-rich banana for a healthy, easy snack! Keep your bananas fresh longer by wrapping the stems in plastic wrap. This prevents the ethylene gas that is naturally produced from the banana stems in the ripening process from reaching the fruits and making them prematurely ripe.

Lettuce- Rather than keeping your lettuce head intact, remove the leaves from the core when you purchase it, wrap them in paper towels, and store in a plastic container in your crisper drawer.

Apples- Unlike some fruits and veggies on this list, apples are one of the fruits that keep best under refrigeration, yet most people do not store their apples in the fridge. To keep your apples at the optimal temperature of 30-35 degrees Fahrenheit, place them under a damp paper towel in the crisper drawer. This will keep them nice and crunchy for weeks!

Carrots- Keeping your carrots in a large glass or plastic container full of water in the fridge will secure their freshness, keeping them deliciously crunchy for much longer. Be sure to cover the top of the container with plastic wrap or a lid, and change the water once per day.

Strawberries- The first step to preserving your strawberries is to throw away any moldy ones you find in the container right away. Then, store the berries in the fridge in an airtight container (not the one that they came in at the store) and take care not to wash them until just before you intend to eat them.

Understanding each fruit and vegetable and knowing how to best preserve them for maximum freshness will save you a lot of money and time while keeping your kitchen stocked with healthy, delicious foods. Enjoy!

Do you have a food preservation tip for your produce items? Let us know in the comments section.