Letter from Publisher
Peggy Malecki
While I relish
the colors and artistic sunlight of the fall season, I get a little sad each
year as the growing season slows, finally jolting to a halt after a hard
freeze. Of course, this sentiment is amplified when freezing temps in the 20s
are followed by glorious days with above-average warmth. Like many gardeners,
I’ve tried over the years to extend the summer with temporary covers, protected
plants on cold nights with old towels and bedsheets, and held out hope for just
a few more blooms and green leaves before the season ends.
But we live in
the Midwest, and winter happens in our gardens. It’s a necessary transition and
break, a time for perennial plants and trees to recover for the next season, for
birds and animals and insects to adapt and/or hibernate and for us to prepare
for winter, reflect on the past season and dream of new possibilities in the
coming year. It’s time to pick the green tomatoes, perhaos cover the hearty
kale and parsley plants with heavy row cover for the winter months, mulch the
perennials, make a hearty soup or stew, bake pumpkin bread and get ready to let
the annual winter rest begin.
If you have a
yard or garden of any size, from a few containers on the patio to backyard acreage,
there are simple things you can do this month to help insects, bees, birds and
other creatures that share our yards have adequate winter habitats. Many native
bee and wasps (including bumblebees) burrow underground or hide in leaf litter
all winter. By keeping whole, fallen leaves and twigs in our gardens and yards,
we can help both create hiding places for beneficial insects and protect our
garden beds with free mulch that will add nutrients to the soil as it
decomposes over the winter. You can also help create winter habitat by leaving
plant stalks in place with seed heads for the winter birds. If you need to
trim, try to leave about 18 inches of plant material as a place for insects to
hide. Twig piles, extra logs and other remnants of summer are also beneficial
to leave in place.
This year, we
consciously incorporated the theme of mental wellness as an integral component
interwoven in the articles in Natural Awakenings Chicago magazine. As we
head toward the end of 2022 amid the seemingly constant cycle of economic
realities, health concerns, environmental issues, anxiety-provoking news
stories and turbulent world events—not to mention the usual stresses of daily
life, our families and jobs—we’re focusing this issue on our collective mental
wellness. We cover some easily implemented ideas for lowering anxiety, discover
natural herbal remedies that can help us destress and look at the connection between mental wellness and what we eat. Of course, it’s autumn harvest season
and Thanksgiving is coming, so we also offer up a couple of scrumptious recipes
for homemade pumpkin and apple pies!
While we’re in
that in-between season before the holiday effect starts in earnest, it’s an
ideal time to take some reflective time and feel quiet gratitude for all of the
gifts and experiences we’ve been given this year. Add a walk in nature each day
to observe the seasonal changes, and we can help to temporarily ease the
chatter in our minds and bring a smile to our faces. We can better look forward
to the spring if we remember the details in the autumn decline and go with the
flow.
Wishing you a colorful autumn and a Happy
Thanksgiving!
