We have enjoyed the bounty of apples, pears, and muscadines this fall. We don't have an orchard or vineyard now, but friends who do have been generous.

I have preserved some pears and made two crockpots full of apple butter. All of it tasted so good and our house (especially the kitchen) smelled even better. There is something special about the smell of fruit and cinnamon mingling together in the air.

In addition to the above, I have made 12 containers of apple pie filling. I cooked the pie filling the old fashioned way rather than in my crockpot. We didn't have the long term spicy smell that the crockpots of apple butter provided, but the aroma was luscious while it lasted.

Ruble said our kitchen smelled like Thanksgiving to him. That is exactly what I thought as I used a wooden spoon to gently stir the pie filling while it simmered. The sweet, spicy aroma made me linger at the stirring job longer than was actually necessary.

The apples of Autumn are my favorite. I think their taste is sweeter and the ripe, "musty" smell is more intense. The tradition of putting food away for the winter seems to come alive for me with the preserving of fall apples for winter enjoyment.

Just as we don't have an orchard or grapevines now, neither do we have a pumpkin patch. Years ago Pa Hughes planted pumpkins among the corn. A favorite picture in the album of my mind is that of big orange pumpkins peeking out from among brown corn stalks.

Until the pumpkins were gathered and given a horse-drawn wagon ride to the house,that picture was mine to enjoy on my school bus ride to and from school each fall day.

Jim and I carved jack-o-lanterns for Halloween, Mom and Ma Hughes used some for cooking, and the rest of the pumpkins were given away. Now I wonder if those pumpkins were really as big and as orange as I remember.

Whether it is the fruit of this season, the memories of long ago pumpkin patches, the cooler weather, or the leaves taking on multi-colors, but this is my all-time favorite seasonof the year. It always has been.

I loved coming home from school on a fall afternoon to the mouth-watering smell of sweet potatoes baking in the oven and pinto beans simmering on the stove. I choose to remember such happy "welcome home" moments often.

While the fall food aromas that welcomed me home were often sweet and spicy, not all were. Some put forth the strong smell of leafy greens grown in rich soil. There was no doubt when Mom had collards on the menu for supper. I never considered that anunpleasant smell, and I still don't.

Now I cook collard greens no more than twice a year. When I do, I light candles all over the house, turn the vent over my stove on high, and spray room deodorizer profusely.

The younger generation in our family do not relish the smell and taste of the edible,tender greens of fall.

I love all the foods of fall, the holidays of fall, the change in the weather, and leaves displaying colors that Crayolaamp® will never be able to duplicate.

Fall once meant that crops were gathered and some of it sold, and plenty of farm- raised-food was stored for winter. Fall was contentment.

Fall is still that way for me... even though I have stored away only a few preserved pears, two crockpots full of apple butter, and 12 containers of pie filling.

LaVale Mills is publisher of The Red Bay News, P.O. Box 1339, Red Bay, AL, 35582.