By Tina Miller      Photography by Alison Shaw

Fall officially begins in September with sun-dappled days, abundant gardens and the warm ocean filled with bass and bluefish. Fall ends in December when daylight is scarce, and trees stand quiet and dormant. The outdoor growing season has come to an end until next spring.

Most Vineyarders love the fall, which seems be the time when things get back into place. The chaos of summer ends, and we feel we have our lives back in some type of order again.

The transformation of color to soothing gold, oranges and browns delivers something calming and almost healing to the Vineyard. September fades into October, which is the last robust outdoor growing month on the Island. By November the vibrant colors disappear, the nostalgia begins to come in as we think of the great food holidays ahead. Fall is our dependable season. We all know how winter and spring can vary greatly. Sometimes a snowy winter ushers in Christmas, most others, not so much. Cold spring, late spring, no spring, sometimes a real spring. Nothing is a sure bet that time of year.

Summer is usually great except for the now and then rainy, cool on. But fall is our old faithful with the Atlantic near the Gulf Stream filled with fish, shellfish and a land whose rich soil still producing. The cooler nights create hard skinned squash, like butternut, Hubbard and acorn. Dark leafy kale and chard, crunchy broccoli, crispy greens, sweet apples, late peaches even corn into October. Fall provides hearty foods that scream to be roasted or braised. From hearty vegetables to game birds, and sweet fruits turn your oven on and let rich intense flavors flow. Roasting means cooking food in an uncovered pan, which browns the outside and keeps the inside juicy and tender. Roasting may not work for all cuts of meats, especially tough cuts such as brisket, which needs to be braised. Braised foods are usually browned first and cooked with liquid on low temperature and covered tightly.

For roasting or braising it’s worth it to invest in a heavy pan for even cooking.

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