I, for one, am very fond of the change of seasons. The air is becoming less humid, the light is wonderful, and I love it getting dark a little sooner. I can shut the hen house and then can justify hitting the sofa by eight o’clock. I realize this is an unpopular sentiment but to each his own.

I finally started some canning projects in earnest. I made the first batch of dilly beans to be preserved. I had made a batch for the fridge earlier last month. I know I’ve given the very simple recipe several years running but here goes again.

3 cups water

1 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons kosher salt

several garlic cloves

dill heads

This creates enough liquid to cover the beans.

I also made something up this year. I had a bumper crop of Ailsa Craig onions. They are large and sweet but do not store well. I sliced a huge amount of them and placed them in boiling vinegar with honey (one quart of vinegar; one cup of honey). Then after they were just warm, not boiled again, I packed them into pint jars and processed for 10 minutes in a water bath.

They stayed somewhat crisp, without the bite of a plain raw onion. They will be great for salads this winter. I was obnoxiously pleased with myself.

Speaking of pleased, I also pulled up a bed of dried beans. These were Jacob’s castle, a beautiful heirloom white bean splashed with maroon markings.

It is supposedly named for the Biblical story of Jacob. He was told he could have all the cattle with similar red and white markings. He began putting the bull of that color into the flock at night and sure enough, genetics being what they are, he ended up with lots of cows.

Anyway, I pulled the dried beans from the plants and put them into my gas oven for a few days to continue drying with the help of the pilot light. They share the oven with cayenne peppers. The peppers will keep indefinitely in a cloth bag in the fridge if properly dried.

Finally, son Reuben, grandson Michael and great-grandson Zappa picked all the grapes for me. As I write, I’m looking at an enormous pile of fruit to be picked through, washed and turned into juice. It’s our favorite beverage.

Good thing, since it is a huge amount of work and aggravation. Every container in the house is dirtied, the floor is a sticky mess and a sane person would forego the experience.

I planted the vine about 25 years ago, just a basic Concord variety, and barely care for it except a severe pruning every couple of years. If you plan to stay put on your property, it’s a wise investment.

Years ago, a friend gave me a calendar that had no year. It was simply garden information and thoughts. It was put out by a community farm in Waltham. I found it recently and want to share what they had to say about the month of September:

“There is something about the abundance of this time of year, in combination with the incredible beauty of the wather, that makes gratitude the first semi-rational response. Although hoarding seems to come naturally a close second . . .

Put it up, lay it by, freeze or can or cellar it; celebrate the harvest, and eat well.”