Fall Harvest vs. Halloween {The Switch Witch, Healthy Homemade Treats + Natural, Organic & Fair Trade Chocolates and Candy Ideas}

Willow Pond Organic Farm

How does your family celebrate?  Do you celebrate the Fall Harvest or Halloween?  Do you celebrate both?  How do you incorporate the two?  Does the Switch Witch come to your house for Halloween?  If you have time to share, I’d love to hear what you do. 

For many of us “Real Food” parents, Halloween can be an interesting time. 

Now that my daughter is in Kindergarten, Halloween is being talked about more.  In the past, Little Love has dressed up in costumes for Halloween and gone to see my mom, my Aunt and a few neighbors, but it’s never been for the traditional commercial candy/trick-or-treat.  I have tried to incorporate the Fall Harvest into Halloween with annual trips to pick organic pumpkins and apples, carving pumpkins at home and making a little party out of it, making homemade treats, and instead of commercial candies on Halloween, she gets little presents from my mom and organic chocolates. 

This year, since more and more kids are talking about Halloween at her school (she goes to a Waldorf school, they have a Harvest Festival and do not celebrate Halloween, so that helps some), I’ve decided to incorporate The Switch Witch.

There is a beautiful book called "The Switch Witch"{*affiliate} by Charity A. O'Neil-O'Kane that talks about a different way for families to celebrate Halloween (without the overload of commercial candy).  She is not a scary witch (which I appreciate), she lives in her house (which is more enchanted than haunted) with her cat Magic and has pumpkins and cornfields in her yard.  She visits homes on Halloween night where children with imaginations live, and she has the power to make a healthier Halloween.  I love this concept and this book.  The idea is that on Halloween night the Switch Witch can come and visit, take away the commercial candies (or some of them) and switch it out with healthier alternatives or treats, or even a special gift. 

* {Amazon Affiliate link included helps support this blog.  Price is the same for you.}

Little Love getting ready to choose some pumpkins.

In our home, we start to celebrate the Fall Harvest before Halloween.  My Little Love already got to go to our favorite organic farm, pick out her pumpkins and pick some apples (with me and her grandma/my mom), she looks forward to this tradition every year.  She celebrates the Harvest Festival today at her school.  As Halloween approaches, we will celebrate by carving pumpkins and having homemade treats.  This year I will probably make some gluten-free Owl-looking chocolate pumpkin cupcakes, some fresh fruit skewers, and maybe some caramel corn or caramel apples. 

Little Love and her little organic pumpkin.

Little Love picking some apples with her grandma.

Litte Love and Me

Wishing everyone a beautiful Fall Harvest and a Happy Halloween!

Need Recipe Ideas for Healthier Homemade Treats?

Here are some of my family’s favorites:

Spiced Pumpkin Smoothie

Honey-Sweetened Hot Chocolate

Spiced Pumpkin Tea (Chai – w/o black tea, caffeine free)

Slow Cooked Pears

Chocolate Fudge Sauce (to top your favorite ice cream)

Chocolate Pumpkin Cake (sprouted gluten-free flour & egg-free)

Mini Warm Chocolate Cakes

Chocolate Covered Frozen Banana Bites

Sprouted Cut-Out Cookies (use Fall or Halloween theme cookie cutters)

Need Ideas for Healthier, Organic, Fair Trade Chocolates & Candy?


Endangered Species Chocolate – Natural, Organic, Fair Trade, Ethically Traded

Milk and Dark Chocolates

Heavenly Organics – Organic, Sustainable, Fairly Traded, No Refined Sugars

 These amazing chocolates come in Mint, Pomegranate, Ginger, and Almond … my absolute favorite is the Chocolate Mints, they remind me of my childhood days when I used to eat Junior Mints.  The soft honey center is unbelievable.  Fillings are made with Raw, Organic White Himalayan Honey, Chocolate Shells made with Organic Unsweetened Chocolate.

Stirs the SOUL – Organic Raw Chocolates, Fairly Traded, Sustainable, Allergy and Gluten-Free, Unrefined Sugars

Chocolates are Banana-Fig-Currant Sweetened, Date Sweetened, Coconut Palm Sugar Sweetened, or Raw Honey Sweetened.

There are many flavors to choose from such as Blissful Dark, Spiced Chai, Mint, Orange Gogi, Cayenne Cinnamon, Honey Rose, Lavender, Coconut, Espresso, Hemp, Hemp & Maitake.  I have had the honey and date sweetened chocolates – the dark, spiced chai, mint, cayenne cinnamon and orange gogi flavors.  All were delicious.    

Yummy Earth – Organic, Gluten-Free, No Artificial Flavors or Colors, No High Fructose Corn Syrup, Real Fruit Extracts

Lollipops, Jelly Beans, Gummy Worms, Gummy Bears, Twist Wrapped Hard Candies.

Homemade Gravenstein Applesauce

Last weekend my parents brought us a huge box of organic Gravenstein apples from their farm (Sophie’s Five Acres).  The beautiful aroma from the apples is filling my kitchen.  It smells amazing!  

Homemade Gravenstein Applesauce

Gravenstein apples do not have a long shelf life, so it’s best to use them as soon as you can.  They make wonderful applesauce and breakdown very easily when cooking. Enjoy this applesauce as a snack, side dish or a simple dessert.

Equipment: Juicer (optional), Large Stainless Steel or Enamel Saucepan w/ lid

• 12 organic Gravenstein apples, peeled, cored, cut into ½ inch chunks
• ½ cup fresh organic apple juice
• 1 tablespoon pasture butter (See Resources)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder (optional)
• 1 tablespoon raw/unheated honey or real organic maple syrup (optional)

1.     Prep apples.  Cut in half, core, and cut into ½ inch chunks.  I cut the apple half in thirds, then turn and cut in thirds again (see picture).  There’s no science here, prep the apples however you’d like.

2.    In a large saucepan, add pasture butter and melt over low heat.

3.    Add apple juice, apple chunks and cinnamon to the saucepan.

Fresh Gravenstein Apple Juice

 

4.    Cover and simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5.     Remove lid, let simmer for about 25 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. 

6.    Add honey or maple syrup to applesauce (if desired).  Stir until dissolved, about 1 minute.  

7.     Remove from heat. 

8.    At this point, the apples have mostly broken down with a few remaining chunks. If you’d like the texture to be more smooth, mash it with a potato masher, use an immersion blender, food processor or blender to make the applesauce completely smooth.

9.    Serve hot or chilled.

Yield: Makes about 3 cups cooked.

Note: If you have a juicer, juice about 4 apples to make ½ cup apple juice, otherwise, choose a fresh organic apple juice to use. 

Storage: This will keep for a few days in the refrigerator.  If not using right away, store in the freezer in freezer-safe containers.  I place some in BPA-free ice cube trays and pop some out when I need them.  One cube equals 2 tablespoons.  

This post is part of Ultimate Recipe Swap @ Life As Mom and Gluten-Free Wednesdays @ The Gluten-Free Homemaker.

Tomato Basil Garlic Butter Sauce

Organic cherry tomatoes and basil are growing in abundance right now in our backyard.  We’ve been eating the tomatoes right off the vine and using the basil in a lot of different dishes.

One of our favorite things to make with these beautiful tomatoes and basil is a simple summer sauce.  It's very easy to make, involving just 5 main ingredients and only takes minutes to prepare.

This sauce is delicious mixed into your favorite pasta and would also go well with fish or pastured chicken. 

Tomato Basil Garlic Butter Sauce

Fresh, simple, garlicky, delicious. 

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2-3 cloves fresh garlic, grated or finely minced
• 3 tablespoons pasture butter (See Resources)
• Small handful of fresh basil leaves (about 20 leaves)
• Zest of lemon
• 1-2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• Celtic sea salt (See Resources) 
• Freshly ground black pepper

1.     Wash and pat dry tomatoes and basil.

2.    Melt pasture butter in small saucepan over low heat. 

3.    Slice tomatoes in half.

4.    Grate garlic with a microplane or finely mince.

5.     Zest lemon with a microplane or grater. 

6.    Add tomatoes, garlic, lemon zest and lemon juice to the melted butter.  Cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat, just until the tomatoes start to break down a little. 

7.     Add whole basil leaves to sauce, stir. 

8.    Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. 

9.    Toss into your favorite pasta or serve with fish or pastured chicken. 

Yield: Varies, makes about 1 cup of sauce.


This post is part of Turning the Table Thursday @ Around My Family Table, Ultimate Recipe Swap @ Life as Mom, Whatcha Got Weekend! @ Lolly Jane Boutique, and Recipe Sharing Monday @ Jam Hands.