Across the Acres: What does fall season mean to you?

Tyler & Marissa Paulzine

Lowry | Pope County

Tell us about your family/farm/hobbies. Tyler is a heating, ventilation and air conditioning tech and farmer and I am a stay-at-home mom. We have five kids ages 12, 9, 7, 4 and 18 months. We raise cattle, hogs and chickens — both laying hens and meat birds. Hobbies? What are those? Ha.

What does fall season mean to you? Fall for us is a busy time gearing up for harvest and getting everything around the farm ready for winter. Baby pigs are born for our fall litter. It is canning season for me, football season for our son, dance season kickoff for our girls, and of course, the kids going back to school.

What do you like and/or dislike about fall and why? My favorite part of fall is the cool air and warm sun, but also the excitement of getting to be cozy and life slowing down. I also like the beautiful colors in the leaves changing and the sunsets looking more radiant.

Do you have any traditions related to the shift of seasons? The only fall tradition I can think of is that the kids get together with some of their cousins to carve pumpkins for Halloween.

What type of chores/preparation do you focus on in the fall time in order to get ready for winter? There are a lot of things that we do to get ready for winter. I preserve as much of my garden as I can. Tyler gets equipment parked, put away or winterized. We get water sources either put away or prepped for winter (so they don’t freeze), we get pens cleaned and all our harvested grains put where they need to go.

Sara & Adam Schmidt

Starbuck | Pope County

Tell us about your family/farm/hobbies. Our family lives on a farm between Starbuck and Cyrus in Pope County, where we’ve spent the past six years building a sustainable and diverse operation. We run It All Makes Scents, our handcrafted soap business, and raise cows, chickens and honeybees. Our two kids help with many parts of the farm, and we’re hopeful they’ll want to continue the tradition someday. They love riding their bikes, exploring by the river, being involved in 4‑H and playing with our dogs and barn cats — all the simple joys of growing up on a Minnesota farm.

What does fall season mean to you?  Fall is a season of gratitude for our farm, family and the community that supports us. We couldn’t do what we do without everyone’s prayers and encouragement. Our family loves raking leaves and playing in them with the dogs — a tradition I grew up doing with my dad and sisters. It’s special watching our kids enjoy the same things. Fall also brings harvest, fieldwork, hunting and the many festivals that make this time of year feel so full.

What do you like and/or dislike about fall and why? I love the colorful changing leaves and how they mark the shift toward a calmer, more soothing winter season. Fall brings a renewed sense of community, whether it’s helping neighbors harvest or gathering together at local festivals. It’s a season that reminds us to slow down and appreciate the people around us.

Do you have any traditions related to the shift of seasons?  Our family loves hosting Thanksgiving and celebrating our daughter’s and nephew’s birthdays. We enjoy having everyone bring a dish to share, and one of our favorites is pumpkin ice cream dessert — a graham cracker crust filled with a creamy pumpkin and ice cream mixture. It’s become a must‑have at our fall gatherings.

What type of chores/preparation do you focus on in the fall time in order to get ready for winter?  Fall chores on our farm include cutting wood for winter, processing beef tallow for our handcrafted soap products, harvesting honey, storing feed for our cattle and making soap for upcoming holiday shows. It’s a busy season, but one that sets us up well for the colder months ahead.

Jessica & Ben Deters

Sauk Centre | Stearns County

Tell us about your family/farm/hobbies. Our family consists of three children under the age of 11 and our family dog, a miniature Aussiedoodle. Ben and I work full time, with Ben working for the city and as a firefighter. I am a nurse for the state of Minnesota. Our children keep us running with sports, school activities, homework and outdoor activities. During slow periods, our family enjoys adventuring the outdoors, attending special events and camping from site to site, experiencing new locations. We also enjoy fishing, hunting, golfing, gardening, shopping, cleaning, enjoying friends, visiting the grandparents and attending church on the weekends.

What does fall season mean to you? Fall is such a special time for us, as the kids are another year older and are in full swing at school, calendars begin to fill up and a routine is formed within the house. Not only is fall a busy time, but it’s also a time for us to pause and enjoy the outdoors and the beauty that this season has given us, soaking it up before the winter season begins. On Sundays, our house is full of enthusiastic Vikings fans that attend church and watch the Vikings win. This also includes being a part of multiple fantasy football groups that heighten the want to succeed. Naturally, hunting is enjoyed during fall, especially for the boys who have already stuck a doe and started to stock up our freezer.

What do you like and/or dislike about fall and why? There is a quiet, peaceful beauty of fall as nature shows off with vibrant colors, and the air provides a soft touch to the skin and a burst of life when breathed in. It is the colors, the smells, the sounds, the silence, the temperature and the moment you embrace another season has come and gone, along with the joy of what the next season’s unexpected adventure holds.

Do you have any traditions related to the shift of seasons?  Fall is the season when soups, chili and crockpot meals are starting to be prepared for supper, and the sweet tooth comes out for pies and ice cream for dessert. At this point, the kids become passionate when the toy catalogs come in the mail, and they receive the Scholastic catalog from school, circling all that is wanted for school conferences and Christmas.

As a family, we enjoy watching the Freeform Halloween movies together as much as we can. The girls also enjoy watching “Dancing with the Stars,” eagerly waiting for the next episode to air. Normally, we pick out pumpkins to carve, watch the kids squeamishly enjoy gutting the pumpkins and create an idea to have us assist in carving to light it up for Halloween. This also includes a day to have the children pick out their own Halloween costumes to partake in many parties and trick or treating. Traditionally, the kids enjoy time at our neighbors, where they provide pumpkins from their garden for the neighborhood kids to paint anything they desire.

One tradition that has held strong since the kids were babies is visiting orchards and pumpkin patches. The orchards include corn pits, tractor hayrides, zip lines, corn mazes, bazooka ball, balloons, bubbles, jumping pillows, a petting zoo, games and much more. We love to savor caramel apples, kettle corn, cookies, donuts and any specialty fall baked goods.

What type of chores/preparation do you focus on in the fall time in order to get ready for winter? We start the garden clean up, yard work that feels like ceaseless leaf cleanup (as well as leaf jumping piles for the kids) and wrapping up outdoor projects. We also ensure  our furnace is clean and ready for the cold to begin and winter clothing is ready. We clean out the shed, pack up items for winter storage, and get winter equipment and toys ready to go for winter.