UBC October 2024 - Fall Bucket List, Part 2

Hello and welcome back to October's UBC.

Yesterday I mentioned that the fall bucket list needed a few additions. Some may be less poetic and more practical, and others are Switzerland-themed, so to say. 

Car maintenance: Have your winter tires fitted. As temperatures drop, it also becomes particularly important to check the car battery and antifreeze to avoid problems in winter.

If you have an outdoor area, now is of course the time to cut back plants, cover beds and protect sensitive plants from frost. Garden furniture can be stored away and leaves should be removed to keep paths slip-free.

Now is also the time to have the heating system, chimney and fireplace checked, insulate any leaking windows and doors and clear the gutters of leaves and other debris to prevent them from clogging. 

With the chores out of the way, because quite frankly, they're more of a checklist than bucket list, let's focus on the fun stuff!

Fall fair: Many have their origins in harvest time celebrations. Farmers brought their produce to the markets to sell, and village communities celebrated the end of the intensive months of work. Fall fairs provide a platform for presenting local traditions, customs and culinary specialties. In some regions, livestock markets are also held, which go back to an old tradition of farmers bringing their livestock to the fair.

Of course there's also fairgrounds and lots of food stands. Coincidence has it that a former Starbucks colleague now works for one of these traditional market vendors.

One of the largest and longest takes place ifrom October 26 through November 12, 2024 in several neighbourhoods of Basel. Here's the link to the official website.

In early November, the traditional Räbeliechtli parade takes place in many regions of Switzerland. Children make lanterns out of turnips and parade through the streets in the dark, singing. It's heartwarming to watch as a parent!

Visit a fête de vendange, a grape harvest festival to celebrate the grape harvest and pay tribute to the hard work of the winegrowers and winemakers. They are very popular in the French speaking part of Switzerland, or in other words, the typical wine-growing regions. In addition to the opportunity to taste wine, you can enjoy local food, watch parades, visit craft markets and sometimes even dance. I myself have never attended a wine festival.

Be happy that the hockey season started, of course attend as many games as you can!

Pick some apples. Maybe you have your own tree, maybe your family member or friend asks for your help, or you visit a farm where you can pick your own apples. 

Make an apple- or chestnut themed dish. Using this recipe you may replace the fruit or berries with apples and add a sprinkle of cinnamon. My family also loves apple pancakes. I have a draft for chestnut muffins sitting in my folder. Let me know if you'd like a post including the recipe.

In southern cantons such as Ticino and Grisons, chestnut picking is a popular fall activity. There are also often festivals where chestnut specialties such as marroni (roasted chestnuts) are offered. Chestnuts are not technically picked, but collected after they have fallen from the trees. The prickly shells of the chestnuts open and allow the ripe fruit to fall to the ground.

Fall is the perfect time for mushroom picking. There is a great variety of edible mushrooms in Swiss forests, however, it requires in-depth knowledge, and even for veteran mushroom pickers, there are mushroom inspection centers in Switzerland that you can contact to have your collected mushrooms checked. These experts are familiar with edible and poisonous mushrooms and can ensure that only edible specimens are consumed. Many poisonous mushrooms look very similar to edible varieties, and some are deadly poisonous.

Hunting season: In many parts of Europe, the fall season is traditionally associated with hunting. As the leaves change color and temperatures drop, hunters head into the forests to harvest wild game such as deer, boar, and pheasant. This practice, often rooted in centuries-old traditions, plays a significant role in controlling wildlife populations and providing a sustainable source of meat.

During this time, retail stores and restaurants feature special "wild game" menus, offering dishes prepared from freshly hunted game. A popular option is the "Wildteller" (literally "wild plate"), which typically includes a variety of meats, such as venison or wild boar, served with seasonal sides like red cabbage, Brussels sprouts, mushroom, roasted chestnuts, spätzli (a type of dumpling), and cranberry sauce. These hearty, flavorful dishes reflect the rich culinary traditions tied to autumn and the bounty of the hunt.

Alpine descent - say again? I am dedicating an entire blog post to it, so if you're not familiar with this term, stay tuned, and you'll learn soon. How about as early as tomorrow?

Wrapping up, here's a sarcastic fall bucket list I found on a blogger friend's page:

What speaks most to you? Are there items that sound strange to you?