Fall Festivals in Missouri

Now is the time to make plans for fall festivals and activities in Missouri.   My husband and I like to plan a variety of weekend trips to attend Missouri’s apple butter festivals, craft shows music and farmers markets during the fall season.  

Many events are offered in small towns and large cities during the fall season in Missouri.

 

Missouri has many wide-open spaces, parks, and woods with maple, oaks and hickory trees that are beautiful during the fall season. The leaves normally turn in October starting in north Missouri, then to the west before the leaves turn in the south and the east.

 

We always go to Piece City for their fall festival on September 21^st. We enjoy the hometown activities that this city has to offer.  This event is held in a park like setting where you can walk around.  There are craft booths, farmers market, music, games for the kids, food and fun.  View the Facebook page for more information.

 

Our friends tell us that the apple butter festival is one we must attend.    So, we have marked our calendar with the two-day event date (October 26^th and 27^th).   and time (10 to 5) The Apple Butter Festival in Kimmswick Missouri is a very large celebration as it has drawn over 100,000 visitors.  

The festival is in a small town with historic buildings and tree lined streets.   The festival will feature a variety of booths that offer food, drinks, and crafts. There will also be live entertainment and fun activities for kids. Such as petting zoo, pony rides, face painters and more.    

 

If you like apple butter know that you will find no better than what is made at Kimmswick.  The historical society peels and cuts and cooks the apples over a wood fire on Saturday and Sunday at dawn. Yes, they freshly prepare the apple butter to be sold at the festival.    

 

If you are interested in the apple butter festival in Missouri then go to their website to learn more   

 

 

Autumn Activities at Crystal Bridges Museum

 

 

We enjoy the fall season and find that Arkansas has many destinations that offer beautiful scenery.  If you like outdoor activities that Arkansas with 52 state parks has got everything from hiking, camping, horseback riding, boating, hunting and more.

 

This year we are visiting Bentonville Arkansas to view the Crystal Bridges art Museum and visit the Frank Lloyd Wright home that is located on the museum ground.  After viewing the arts, we plan to hike the 4 trails in the woods that surrounds the museum. 

The museum is located in the Ozark Forest and if you enjoy hiking know that it’s situated on 120 acres.  A few years ago I walked with my brother on the trails and at one point we did go off trail and found a natural stream.

We saw native plants and whitetail deer.  If your family enjoys nature, wildlife, hiking, art and making happy autumn season memories then you will enjoy spending the day in Arkansas at the Cristal Bridges Museum.  It offers fun activities for the  entire  family.

All  images are postcards that I created from my photographs that I took of the beautiful scenery in Arkansas 

Things to Do with Autumn Leaves

 

If you have a lot of leaves during the fall season and prefer to do something useful rather than burning, bagging or raking them to the curb then follow these tips for things to do with your autumn leaves.  

Here are a few photos of autumn 

If you are a gardener and desire a rich carbon and nitrogen compost them mix leaves with your grass clippings.   You can also use the leaf matter as a natural mulch for your garden beds or around your shrubs and trees. 

When using the leaves as a mulch you will find that the leaves will prevent weed grown and when the decompose the soil will be enriched.   Its best to apply a thin layer of leaf mulch rather than a thick layer because if the leaves are too heavy they will block the water from getting to your soil. 

Feed your autumn / winter season lawn with leaves.  Mow over the fallen leaves so that the leaves are cut into small pieces.  Leave the shredded leaf matter on your lawn and when it breaks down it will provide a natural feed for your grass. 

Have fun with your autumn leaves by raking them into a big pile then play with kids or grandkids by running and jumping into the pile of leaves.  It’s a fun thing to do during the autumn season.

Family Favorite Pecan Pie Recipe

 

Pecan pie has been one of my families fall favorite desserts. This pie is made with pecans that are mixed into a rich caramel colored filling. This filling is made from eggs sugar, butter, molasses and corn syrup. The pecans and filling is poured into a pie crust.  Then baked to perfection.

 

I used to make pecan pie during the fall season.  Here in Missouri there was an abundant of you pick it pecan orchards and I grew up eating pecan pies during the fall season. So it was only natural that I made the pie when I was older for my family. But instead of using corn syrup I bake my pie with maple syrup. 

The traditional recipe calls for corn syrup. The corn syrup additive was a way to keep the pie from drying out, and it also holds the filling and prevents crystallization during the baking.  But I found that organic maple syrup does the same thing.  Plus, the maple syrup adds sweetness and the dark color to the pie. 

Know that pecan pie is a high calorie high fat dessert.  So if you are going to bake this pie then serve up the slices and plan to take a walk afterwards. A single slice of pecan pie contains 400 calories with 20 grams of fat.  I guess that is why they refer to pecan pie as comfort food. 

So if you are like me and prefer to not make a pecan pie with corn syrup then bake the pie with maple syrup instead.  You will find that it tastes delicious.  I promise you will not miss that corn syrup.  

I found the recipe online here > Bake by Nature  No Corn Syrup pecan pie recipe

 

Grow Pansies in The Fall

 Pansies will add color and interest to your fall season garden.  When most of the flowers die back due to the change of weather the cold hardy pansy will thrive.

 

Pansies are great container plants for your patio, or porches.  The pansies will grow well in rich soil that is well drained.   Miracle-gro makes a potting mix that is perfect for container gardens. 

 

Plant pansies so that they are nine inches apart as this will allow the pansies room to spread.   After planting set your container gardens in an area where the pansies will get six hours of sun per day.

 

Water newly planted pansies well or until the water drains from the holes at the bottom of the container.

Check your pansy containers daily to see if they need water.  Stick your finger into the top soil about an inch into the soil and If the soil is dry to the touch , then  water the plants in the morning.

 

If the weather is warm during the fall months recheck your pansies in the early afternoon as you may have to water them again.  Do a deep watering once a week especially if no rain is in forecast.  

Water pansy container gardens in the morning rather than at night or late afternoon.  Morning allows the soil to dry out before the end of the day.  At night the soil does not dry out which may cause root rot and wet soil may attract insects.

Feed your fall and early winter pansies with water soluble fertilizer every two weeks.  I use Miracle-gro bloom booster and am satisfied with it as you can use it on both annual and perennial flowers. 

Pansies will thrive when the average temperature is 40 degrees at night with a high of 60 degrees during the day.  

When your temperature dips below 25 degrees then move the pansies to your garage, basement or grow as a houseplant in a room that is cool and has southern exposure window or use a grow light.  Pansies that are left outdoors will go dormant as the weather is too cold for them.  

Bring your pansies back outdoors in early spring when temperature is an average of 40 at night and 60 during the day.

Grow Lettuce in Autumn

 Autumn is the season when most of your crops are being harvested, however, it is also the time when you grow lettuce.   Lettuce is a fast-growing vegetable that your family will enjoy during the Autumn season.  

Plant lettuce seeds in a sunny location and in soil that you have prepared by removing the weeds and turning the soil over with a shovel or tiller.   

Water the soil well and cover it with straw.  Wait a week before checking to see if the soil has cooled down.  If this method worked your soil should have cooled to the right temperature for planting lettuce.  

Sow the seeds in rows that are two feet apart.   The seeds should be planted into the soil that is a half inch deep. Water well then keep the lettuce bed watered so that the soil is moist but not wet. 

Water lettuce daily until the seeds germinate in about two weeks. Then water as needed, If days are hot then water daily, to prevent soil from drying out.  The lack of water on a hot day will cause leaves to wilt.  Otherwise, water lettuce weekly.  

Good to Know

Should there be an early frost take steps to protect your lettuce with row covers. 

Enjoy lettuce salads within a month of planting. 

How to Grow Fall Blooming Goldenrod

 Plant Goldenrod in the spring and enjoy flowers in the fall.  Goldenrod is a bright yellow wildflower that is one of the first flowers to bloom in the fall.  

This yellow flower grows on stems that are three to six feet tall and it will bloom at the end of summer through fall until the weather turns cold.   I did not plant it in my yard, the previous homeowners grew it in masses and it now grows amongst my white asters and purple coneflowers in my back garden.

Butterflies and hummingbirds are attracted to the goldenrod flower as it is rich in nectar. Along with being a good source of food it also provides shelter for wildlife.  Many people think of goldenrod as an invasive weed.  I value this flower because of the nectar it provides to butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.

You can grow goldenrod from seed or you can buy a nursery-grown plant and transplant it to your garden after spring frost has passed.  Goldenrod is easy to grow from seed but you do have to keep the seeds in cold storage (refrigerator) for 60 days before planting.  Or you can sow the seeds in early spring or fall so that the seeds will be exposed to the cold.

Plant the seeds outdoors in an area where the flowers will get sun.  This plant is not fussy about the soil as it will grow in poor to average soil.  My soil is rocky and the goldenrod is a healthy plant.

Plant the seeds outdoors in an area where the flowers will get sun.  This plant is not fussy about the soil as it will grow in poor to average soil. Seedlings should emerge in two weeks as long as the temperature is a warm 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Keep the garden bed where the goldenrod is planted watered so that the soil is moist but not wet until the plant is established. 

Images on this post are by pixabay.com