O/T Fall family or local traditions?

With the days getting shorter the weekends are filling up pretty fast on the calendar between now and Thanksgiving. What are the local family traditions that you still fallow in your family or where you live? I know many have harvest to get done with but is there any thing you do with the family or friends every fall around the harvest schedule?

What got me thinking about this is I have been playing phone tag with some of my family the last week to schedule a weekend for the family to make burgoo. For those who don't know, burgoo (like bar-b-q) changes shape and flavor about every 20 miles. What we make is pretty much just real thick vegetable soup with a smokey flavor. 20 miles east of me it's a real thin spicy cooked cabbage concocktion with a little bit of hamburger in it, 20 miles more and it is a real spicy soup with barbeque sauce dumped in it. 20 miles north and it is a thiner version of our's only with cabbage.

Most all the family pitches in and brings what they have or adds money to who ever went to GFS or Sam's to get stuff. I always make sure we have enough dry wood. Some of us go to my cousin's house the night before to peel and cut up 'taters and drink beer while we are doing it. We take turns stir'n and cooking hot dogs on a pitch fork under the kettle. Good time for all, the whole family setting around the fire talking and eating.

Other than the family burgoo, some one round here has a bonfire about every weekend the weather is fit in the fall. Some one tosses a match on a brush pile and every one they know shows up with hot dogs and beer. A few folks will get together a hay ride. Dove day was two weeks ago, that is the first sign of fall. Deer day will be here in two months.

Dave

almost apple gathering time here. Older folks are slowly quiting so others are coming in and taking apples by the wagon load to a local place and trading for juice. Can't really see the economics of it (get 2 bucks for a hundred pounds of apples) could go and by the juice without the work.

There's a press up the street that folks still get together and do juice each year more as an excuse to get together, cook bratwursts and drink beer. I'll make sure they don't get short handed. Schnapps burning time also, I'll be helping a couple old guys get rid of some of prior year's stock to make room for the new :roll:

Guess some things are the same no matter what side of the world your on. Fall= burn something, eat hot dogs and brats, and drink beer.

The bonfires around here every one has to come out and make sure it doesn't get out of control. Every one piles up storm damage, yard tree trimmings, and dead trees around fields all year long just to have one big fire a year.

Dave

(quoted from post at 00:05:36 09/14/09) Every one piles up storm damage, yard tree trimmings, and dead trees around fields all year long just to have one big fire a year.

Dave

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That's the 1st day of summer here. No end of beer and food.... Schnapps burning is when the old folks dig out the still to make a fresh batch for the year...

Here in North Florida, it will be dove shoots, college football, fires with grates on the side with oysters and venison cooking.

Making apple butter. Depending on how many want apple butter, we'll peal and cook anywhere from 6 to 12 bushels of apples. We'll be doing that this coming weekend.

we always get together an make saurkraut. nothing better than homemade kraut on your brat.

Always a campfire or brushpile burning around here, always involves beer and homeade wine, football, and very likely some very fresh venison tenderloin cooked up with bacon, onions and finely sliced heart. Over the fire in a cast iron pan. Umm Umm good.

One of my neighbors always has a party the Saturday night of Labor Day. Kind of a traditional celebration between tobacco cutting and silage chopping. Finger food, a DJ, and of course beer. Then, in early October one of the other neighbors has a pig roast to celebrate the end of silage chopping.

As to burgoo..... we actually have a Burgoo Festival here. You are certainly correct about the variations. Ours varies even in the county. Here on the south end its a super thick meat paste. Equal parts stew meat and onions, usually 30 pound of each, 5 pounds each of corn, white beans, potatoes, and black pepper. Cook for 12 hours over a cedar fire in an 80 gallon cast iron pot adding a total of 40 gallons of tomato juice and 10 gallons of water. Then add 10 qts of tabasco and salt to taste.

Family wise, we begin Halloween preparations early. Usually by the 5th of October we start decorating. Its our big holiday to really make the house and yard up.

Every October we invite our "city" coworkers to our farm in NE Texas.

We provide all the food and drinks; coworkers bring their favorite dessert.

Starts when you arrive and ends when you leave.

Nancy shows off her horses.

I show off our tractors.

Hay ride around the farm.

Trees are starting to turn various colors.

No cell phones allowed and no "shop" talk allowed.

Children of all ages are welcome.

This October will be "getaway" number 5.

My wife and I own my home farm, my dad and mom bought in 1937. On labor day sunday we have my family for a barbecue of Boston butts. ribs and chicken with a few hot dogs for the younger crowd. This year we had 50 , with 46 of those going on the wagon ride pulled by the old 60. Gave the old gal a real load on our Ky back roads.
The next get together is Oct 3 when we make sorghum. We start grinding cane early in the morning until we get the pan about full, about 150 gallons of juice. I then start the wood fire in the furnace and cook, skim and stir until it cooks down to about 18- 20 gallons of sorghum.
Of course there is lot of good potluck food to be consumed during the day. Great family fun.
Joe

Oct and Nov are hunting season in these parts, pheasant and deer. Relatives are comming from TX, CA, MN, NY, AL, NV and other places. We will feast. I love having them here and they always have a good time.

10 Quartz of Tabasco!!!!!! Holy Cow Batman!!!