I know it's almost fall when...

...I come back from the Farmer's Market with butternut squash, honeycrisp apples, and cider.
...we finally have the windows closed so the apartment doesn't get too cold for my sourdough starters.
...I've filled the freezer with vegetable stock.
...I've made the first cobbler of the year.
...I've baked bread for the first time in months.
...all I want to eat is soup.
...I need a sweater in the morning.
...the cats take advantage of every sunbeam. (I have a really cute picture of this last one, but blogger is GRRRR not letting me upload photos today.)

I grew up in a part of California that just didn't have fall, and it's my absolute favorite season. Last September was quite warm, but this one is definitely transitioning to fall. Very nice.

Knitting: A bit more on the garter stitch baby blanket. I hope to have Vintage Glove #1 finished by the end of this weekend. I'm going to start a quick-ish project...yet another sparkly scarf! It's a gift, and the recipient visits here, so no pictures till it's gifted.

Reading: On the 6th Janet Evanovich book, re-reading. These are fun and breezy. Six was the first one I read. Someone had given it to my mom, and she kept laughing out loud while she was reading, and said "You have GOT to read this" once she finished.

Writing: Chapter 7 continues...

Cooking: I did end up making cobbler last night, a peach nectarine cobbler from Cooking Light. Yum. The split pea soup and focaccia were fantastic, as well. Probably no cooking tonight, but tomorrow night I think I'll make samosas, curry, and naan. Butternut squash soup is coming up, and I can't decide whether to just eat the Honeycrisp apples or to bake with them.

It's Day 3 of Sourdough Madness! The starters are making bubbles and weird-smelling liquid, which they're supposed to. I've only been feeding and watering every 24 hours. I wonder if I should kick that up or not. From the reading I've been doing about sourdough, It seems that although this technique is based on science, there's a fair amount of art involved, as well. So, in the issue of what to do with the liquid produced, most sites say to pour it off if your starter is "plenty wet" or to stir it back in if it's "rather dry." Except I've never done this before, so I have no idea if it's wet or dry compared to normal. It reminds me of family recipes my college Italian professor would share. Half the amounts are given as "basta", which means "enough." So, you put in enough olive oil, then add some tomatoes, etc. Bert seems a bit less liquidy than Ernie, so maybe I should pour off the liquid next time for Ernie. I've also read in a few places that you shouldn't make your own starter because you never know what kind of yeast you'll be culturing, but all those sites were selling sourdough starter, so I think I can ignore them. We were supposed to be in town this weekend, but now we may be headed away, so I'm a bit worried about my starters. Maybe they need to come with me.