It Smells Like Fall!

I discovered a large patch of grape vines as I walked around my yard and I've had my eye on them to see when the right time to pick them would happen. Of course, it landed on this week. I knew it was going to rain heavily today and I didn't want to chance them falling off the vine so I went out and picked 6 pounds of grapes last night. Within hours I could see fruit flies hanging over the bowl so I had to put aside other things to get them processed. 

This afternoon I picked them off the stems, put them in a pot and simmered them while squishing out the juice. They are still being strained through the cheesecloth but it looks like I'll end up with about 3/4 of a gallon of juice. I'll keep it in the refrigerator and make jelly at some point this week.

I'm loving the cooler temperatures. Yesterday was in the low 60s and today it's only in the mid-50s. Days like this make me feel like cooking and baking. We had beef stew with homemade dumplings last night.

Today I made apple-rhubarb crisp for a Bible study tonight. I made one pan of gluten free as we have a couple of ladies who can't eat gluten.

Stephen came in the door and said, "It smells like fall in here!" It's one of the few seasons that has a distinct aroma, and it is also my favorite season. I'm looking forward to the crunch of leaves, apple picking, pumpkins, colors of red, orange and yellow, fall festivals and apple cider. These are all some of my favorite things!