Fish Like a GIRL

For me, fall memories are some of the best. Is it that way for every sportsman or woman? I’m not sure. But there are just so many things that happen in the fall. Fishing heats up big time. I am usually fishing at least one championship tournament. Hunting starts. Just getting out in the woods alone is made so much better by the fall colors and the cool, crisp air. The fog that is more prevalent at this time of year makes it all the more beautiful.

It all really starts with Halloween. The block where I live does not get a lot of foot traffic for Halloween, but if the word gets out that the new people on the block give out full-size candy bars and snack bags of chips and Goldfish Crackers, things might pick up a bit. It is fun once again owning a home in town (did I say that out loud?) for that reason. Yes, I would much rather be in the country, but certain infrastructure things dictated we needed a house in town. But I digress.

After Halloween is hunting season, once fishing season is done and the boat is put away for the year. That was always my late husband Rod’s favorite time of year. Even after he got sick, I would take him out in the truck and we would drive around the open MFL land behind the house where he used to hunt with his hunting crew. We would stop and talk to the guys and it meant a lot to him. Those were the first years where I felt I was a part of an actual hunting camp, per se, although it was just our home where we lived. It was a fun time of year, from sighting in the rifles to gutting and processing the deer. 

That is something I really miss is that kind of camaraderie. While I do still get out in the woods once in a while, it is not with some of the people I got to know during those days. And it is not with someone like my dad, who I bow hunted with several years when I was a kid. He was the one responsible for me learning to love the woods.

More so than deer hunting, dad and I were partridge hunters. It was never really the shooting he was out for, as I figured out much later in life. It was just the two of us, spending time in the woods together. 

We would walk along and talk about random things — or not talk at all, which was often the case. As expected, I miss those days even more now that he is gone. Those fall days, no matter if they brought birds, rain, heat, turkey vultures (who, he told me, eat small children) or anything else — those are the days I will always remember.

Then we get to Thanksgiving. Is there a better season for people who love to cook and bake than the time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve? I would say no. I have yet to learn how to pare down my Thanksgiving feast for two people.

One year I had a hard time paring it down to eight people. I truly enjoy spending time in the kitchen, even after spending decades in a professional kitchen and as a restaurant manager. 

However, I am not necessarily a “traditional” cook when it comes to Thanksgiving.

Chet and I are not fond of white meat in any bird, so cooking a turkey is likely not in the cards for us at any point. Now, smoking a few chickens is an activity I am all about. But turkey just is not the bird, or the word, in our house. I believe last year we had Beef Wellington, as well as snacks and appetizers for the whole day and pumpkin pie and who knows what else for the meal. 

Harvest season, of course, is in the middle of all of this. There is canning to be done, pickled vegetables to be made and other vegetables to be frozen or eaten raw. Again, there is not better time to be a foodie!

I will not push the season into Christmas too early, but… baking. I will leave that as it is. 

Baking does not get any better than it does during the holidays.

One favorite I forgot to mention is cranberries. Chet’s dad still runs a cranberry marsh at the tender age of 83. The other day he brought us a big cooler full of cranberries. I have been making bread and muffins and cranberry sauce. I add orange juice to my cranberry sauce. If you have not had the chance to experience warm cranberry sauce, I would highly recommend it. And the recipe is so super easy. For every 12 ounces of cranberries, melt one cup of sugar in one cup of orange juice. I use concentrated orange juice and mix it twice as strong as suggested on the container. Once the sugar is dissolved, add the berries and cook until they have all popped. I cook it down a bit, maybe for 15-20 minutes, and hit it with an immersion blender. Once it cools it thickens and is a great treat all fall long. It can also be frozen and holds up quite well. I freezer mine flat in a zip bag. It takes up less space in the freezer and lets me have that fresh cranberry taste all winter long.

Welcome to my favorite season with most of my favorite memories. Feel free to let me know about your favorite fall memories!

Beckie Gaskill may be reached at [email protected].