Fruits of the Harvest Fair

You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing, As they rejoice before you as at the harvest, as men make merry when dividing spoils.
~Isaiah 9:3

Today at Catholic Cuisine we rejoice in the Lord, as we enjoy and share glimpses into the harvest happenings in our homes. Fall, because of it's focus on harvest and preparation for the winter, has traditionally been a time for giving thanks for the bounty of gifts we have received. Whether that bounty is grown in the field or orchard or hunted on the land we rejoice in God's goodness and generosity. Enjoy the fruits of this fair. We hope it holds ideas for you to use with your bounty.

Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.~ Mark 4: 28-29

Ana Braga-Henebry's Journal deliciously chronicles the entire harvest of the bounties of their splendid garden over the last several months. From this week's yummy pesto back through their season of fruitful harvesting, you can see the joy this abundance has brought them.

Jessica’s gang had an opportunity to share in the harvest of plums at the home of their priest earlier in the season. There is so much joy in the faces of these little harvesters - truly a reminder to enjoy these gifts with the heart of a little child. And here is the recipe for plum cobbler that they made with them. Looks delish!
Fruits of the vine, a product that is very much a part of our faith. Michaela shares the abundance of the fruits of her grape vine. A harvest being enjoyed by many.

When talking about the fruits of the harvest here in North America, no discussion it seems would be complete with mention of apples and pumpkins. They seem almost synonymous with autumn bounty.

Jenn first reflects with gratitude on the bounties of her own garden (tomatoes) and of the nearby community farms (apples & pumpkins). It has given her a time to remember in prayer a friend as well as a time to plan for making some favorite recipes. She shares a great outing the family took this weekend where they revelled in the apple and pumpkin harvest.

Mary of St. Athanasius Academy is also enjoying the bounty of that region. They recently relocated to an area rich in apple orchards, something quite lacking in the state they left behind. So they are enjoying the harvest of this basic and delicious fruit and tell all about the fun family trip to the orchard.

With the bounty of these particular fruits of the harvest and sometimes an overabundance, it is always helpful to have some recipes to enjoy.

Dawn's Apple Crisp sounds like the perfect fall treat.

JoAnne has a helpful and easy to follow Apple Pie tutorial.

Amazing and scrumptious come to mind with Donna's Apple Dumplings.

Michele was surprised by how simple yet delicious this pumpkin bread was to bake.

Pumpkins being a particular favorite at our house, I have included some of the favorite pumpkin recipes of our family.


The fruits of the harvest often come in great abundance. With that abundance comes a need to preserve and save much of the fruit for the future days when the earth is barren of the fresh fruits.

Jodie is new to the blogging world, her blog created especially to be able to participate in the fairs. Welcome, Jodie. She will be well prepared for the months to come considering this very complete post on food prep, preserving, and storing . She also shares a touching tribute to her grandmother, at whose side she learned the skills that serve her well in preserving and putting up the bounty of the harvest. And personally, I love the geographic reflections on living in the high desert. This is the area where I grew up and I was feeling a bit nostalgic reading it.
Marci is quite a pro when it comes to putting up fresh foods. Here she shares the basics and helpful tips for a variety of food preservation methods. It's listed by specific foods. What a fun and busy place her kitchen is in the fall.

Angi shares her gratitude for the generous friends and family who shared the abundance of bounty with them. This enabled Angi to can and freeze quite a bit of the frutis for future use.
This site was suggested by a reader as a helpful resource for canning.

We also have several contributed posts on the bounty we receive from the animals.

The Bee is small among flying creatures but her produce is the best of sweet things. ~Sirach 11:3

Another fun fruit of the harvest we don't always think of is honey, which does come from a very small animal. Septmeber is the traditional honey harvest and Donna shares a great outing to an aviary watching a beekeeper in action. Just look at all that beautiful golden goodness.

He was a mighty hunter before the LORD. ~Genesis 10:9
Trina tells us of the bounty of a successful hunt in the way only a proud mama can do. She also shares a couple recipes for enjoying this bounty.

One is from a friend:
Put venison or elk roast in the crock pot with onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, beef bouillon & water/ or beef broth, and Seasoning salt. Cook all day, then shred and use as taco meat,Enchilada meat, put in Mexican soup, or even stew.

And this one from allrecipes.com:
Again put roast in the crock pot and add 2 cans cream of mushroom soup, 1 pkg. dry onion soup mix, and 1 1/2 c. water. Serve over noodles.

Theresa is experiencing her first autumn in Alaska and was the recipient of a generous gift from a friend's hunting bounty. Here she shares that she is grateful for the bounty and now is looking for ideas and recipes for using it. Check the comments for some readers’ recipes.

And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field to its very border, nor shall you gather the gleaning after your harvest; you shalt leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the Lord your God. ~Leviticus 23:22

And on a final note, I wanted to share an experience that my children and I had last week when we helped to glean a farmer's field. It really brought home the idea of being thankful for our bounty and the call we have as Christians to share of that bounty.

Bless us O Lord, and these thy gifts, which we are about to receive from thy bounty through Christ our Lord. Amen.

We hope you have enjoyed the fair. If you have contributions to add, I'll continue to take submissions and insert them into the fair.

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