From Wikimedia Commoncs

GROVELAND, NY — I don’t know about you but autumn sure came fast this year. I was still waiting for a glimmer of summer but, alas, it did not happen. We got ripped off this year for sure.

It’s getting colder and colder. daylight savings time is around the corner (Nov. 1 this year). With regard to daylight savings, I recently read a quote from a Native American chief on this subject, “Only a white man would think that he could cut something off the top of the blanket and sew it onto the bottom and think that he has a longer blanket.” It makes total sense to me.

In preparation for the fall there’s a lot we have to do around our house. First, there’s cutting and splitting of firewood. This is an activity I actually look forward to because I need the exercise.  We usually burn about 12 cords depending on the weather. I will take about three weekends in a row to finish this task. Since we have an abundance of woods on our property, the cost is only in labor and a little fuel for the chain saws and our Gator vehicle. We save plenty on our propane bill.

After this is done we (translation ”I”) will clear out the vegetable garden. This year was quite a disappointment. I planted forty tomato plants consisting of three varieties. The fruits of our labor consisted of a handful of cherry tomatoes. None of the Romas or Beefsteaks bore fruit. There were plenty of flowers, but no tomatoes. We got the same results from our zucchini and pumpkin plants- a lot of flowers but nothing to eat.

I ended up buying a bushel of tomatoes at a farmer’s market in the area just so that I could do my annual canning.
Luckily we did get a couple dozen eggplants. They were turned into several dishes of eggplant parmesan which Maria and the girls enjoy tremendously.

I usually like to can about six quarts of eggplant in oil, vinegar & choice spices but I am the only one that tends to enjoy this Italian delicacy, especially on a cold winter day. You put some between two slices of Italian bread and it’s about as good as food gets. And it warms your innards, too.

So, with the low crop yield I opted to use the eggplant to make the family’s favorite dish. We ate some freshly cooked and there’s plenty in the freezer.

The basil came up true to form which resulted in a lot of pesto and frozen basil leaves for our tomato sauces. The Swiss chard and lettuce were also in abundance. It seems that the advice of our priest at Sunday Mass — “Lettuce spray” — or word to that effect- worked for those veggies.

Next weekend we’ll be bring the patio furniture into the shed. Then we’ll stow away the row boat and paddle boat and secure the cabin.

I want to use the cabin more this winter. We have a wood burning stove in it and this can prove to be a perfect gathering place for a hot cup of cocoa after hiking or cross country skiing. A healthy snack we can enjoy in the cabin is popcorn popped on the stove. No butter, just crisp popcorn.

Eating healthy is very important as we approach the fall. We tend to eat more in the fall and this leads to more weight gain. This is a natural phenomenon.

In the past mankind ate more in preparation for the winter famine. But there is no famine nowadays. Yet we continue to have the instinct to eat more as the winter approaches.

One additional nutritional dish we’ve added to our canning efforts this year is vegetable soup. I put up about 15 quarts. I had intended to include some cheese filled tortellini. But Maria did some research and found that canning anything with fats could lead to the big ‘B’-botulism. That was enough for me to exclude it from the canned vegetable soup.

Other food items we will be adding to our daily input are fruits like apples and pears. We will also include sweet potatoes which are low in sodium, and very low in saturated fat and cholesterol.  They are also a good source of dietary fiber, Vitamin B6 and potassium, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Manganese.

I recently found a good substitute for potato chips which I often snack upon while watching sporting events. You can take kale, which is found in the produce section of your favorite grocery store, and cut it into small pieces.Then you fry it in olive oil (extra virgin would be better) and lightly salt and let dry. Olive oil is better that saturated fats used to process potato chips.

And by controlling the amount of salt you can have a healthier snack to munch on during the winter football and hockey games.

Exercise during the fall months is ever so important to keep our energy level up. It also burns up the calories. Taking hikes or going on long walks and bike rides are good activities. Joining a gym or planning evening walks can also add to a healthy lifestyle.

You can enjoy the fall and, at the same time, keep healthy by making some different choices in your lifestyles. It’s entirely up to you.
Lou Lombardo is a NYS Licensed Massage Therapist, nationally certified and certified in orthopedic massage. He is an approved provider for continuing education courses through the National Certification Board of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. For questions, comments or more information you can contact him at (585) 734-2200 or at lombardolm@aol.com.