When the autumn comes, other women in New York get excited about what is arguably the most popular season for fashion — the fall. I guess that makes sense since New York Fashion Week happens in September, and it’s a time when you can do more texturing and layering with clothes to show off your fashion creativity. I, on the other hand, have never liked dressing for the fall, and have borderline dreaded the changing of the seasons. I like to dress for summer because I can dress light. I can pick one dress and a pair of sandals and be done. I like to dress for winter (well, not really, but it’s simple) because I wear more layers, a thick coat, and hats, scarves, and gloves — it’s very easy to think about. All of that is straightforward. Fall is not straightforward. Some days are over 75 degrees F in the fall. Other days barely clear 40. Today was pouring rain but humid as hell. What are you supposed to wear in situations like this? Some people wear mini skirts with warm suede boots… in rainy, windy weather. How do people do this and actually feel comfortable? It’s boggled my mind for years. Dressing in the fall always leaves me feeling awkward. I don’t know if my clothes look right together. Sometimes I feel over dressed. Other days, I feel under dressed (and definitely am because I am freezing). Fashion will never be my thing.

But what I have adapted very well to while living in the northeast are the flavors of autumn and the plethora of seasonally spiced items available at the farmers’ market and pretty much every grocery store: over 50 varieties of autumn/winter squash are available at the farmer’s market. So far this season, I’ve cooked the always-present butternut squash and the denser and sweeter kabocha squash. I can pick up my favorite Adirondacks pumpkin ice cream, made locally, at Whole Foods or Fairway. I can get endless organic pumpkin, fresh or canned, any time I’d like. Brussel sprouts are in season for roasting. And it’s also peak apple season here, which means I can buy my favorite variety that is only available from September through October — my beloved Honey Crisp. Apple cider is readily available everywhere you go, as are apple cider donuts. And I can’t forget about persimmons, the naturally cinnamon-like fruit that exists in nature.

That’s what autumn is really about to me. And it also reminds me that Christmas is just right around the corner.