There are so many amazing things to do in the fall. Apple picking, cider drinking, and haunted hay rides. But what about the other stuff everyone forgets to do? Here is a list of the most amazing things to do that will spice up (get it like pumpkin spice) your Insta feed.
1. Make your own cider.
Drinking apple cider is just about the best thing to do, ever. But, making your own is so much more satisfying. I can speak from experience that they time it takes to do it, is well worth it. Is amazing. Here’s a recipe courtesy of food.com
INGREDIENTS
SERVINGS
6-8
YIELD
1/2 gallon
UNITS
US
8-10 apples (I used gala for a less tart or intense taste)
1⁄2-1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons cinnamon (or 4 cinnamon sticks)
4 tablespoons allspice
DIRECTIONS
Quarter your apples (no need to remove peel or seeds).
In a large stock pot add your apples and fill with water--just enough to cover the apples.
Add your sugar.
Wrap your cinnamon and allspice in a doubled up cheese cloth and tie, and add this to the apples and water.Boil on high for one hour (uncovered) checking on it frequently.
Turn down heat and let simmer for two hours (covered).
Take off the heat after two hours of simmering and let cool.
Remove spices and mash up the apples to a pulp like consistency (a potato masher works well for this).
Once cool pour into a strainer over a large bowl. When most of the juice has drained away, put the remainder of the pulp into a doubled up cheese cloth and squeeze over the bowl until no more juice comes out.
(At this point you can either restrain the juice to get out the little bits of pulp that remain with a cheese cloth draped inside the strainer to catch them or just leave it like I do.)
You can store in an air tight container in your refrigerator for up to a week or you can freeze it for later use if you like.
Reheat in the microwave or on the stove and enjoy either plain or you can add caramel syrup or caramels, whipped topping with cinnamon or, like my neighbors did if you like it really sweet, with marshmallows or marshmallow creme.
2. Gondola rides
Winter gondola rides are a sight to be seen. When mountains are covered snow it creates such beautifulness. But fall ones are even better. You can get a birds eye view of nature and life happening. The colors are absolutely unbelievable. It's a memory you’ll always keep. It’s the kind of memory that you want to take a mental picture of and save forever.
3. Making your own roasted pumpkin seeds.
After you carve the pumpkin, which everyone has to do in the fall, save those seeds. Homemade roasted pumpkin seeds need to be a new fall staple for everyone. There are countless recipes online for them too! They can be sweet or salty and they're the perfect snack to go along with your homemade cider.
4. Hiking
Like going on a gondola ride, hiking is prime in the fall for a number of reasons. 1, colors, all of them. Being surrounded by nature and trees in the fall is the best thing ever. Going to a nature preserve or a national park to go on a hike is the best way to escape the city and really enjoy your surroundings. You’ll get a pure unobstructed view of fall. 2, its cool aka you don't get hot and sweaty like you would in the summer. Fall hiking is the best because its cool and you can layer up on clothes and not die. 3, less bugs. As it gets chillier the bugs peace out for the winter and they won't be a nuisance this way.
5. Go on an adventure and become a photographer for the day.
Guaranteed your photos turn out great. Fall has some of the best lighting. And, anything with leaves and foliage in the background will look amazing. Plus you get to go outside and enjoy nature.
