The Harvest Moon

The Harvest Moon

September 29-30, 2012

Ah yes, it is that wonderful time of the year! The leaves are changing, the weather is cooling and the earth is preparing to hibernate. I especially love this time of the year in the North East!! The Catskill mountain area of New York is especially rememberable for me from when I was growing up. My dad was a NY firefighter and every year around this time we would go to the Catskills for a convention with him. As we prepare for Samhain, the harvest moon is upon us. This is one of my most favorite times of the year.

I have put together this blog a collection of sources for the harvest moon below. Following that, are a collection of fall festivities that can be passed on to your children, or grandchildren of traditions that I have always enjoyed this time of the year.

The Harvest Moon is the full moon nearest to the Autumnal Equinox, usually occuring in September, but can occur as late October 7. This year it occurs on September 29-30.

“There’s also a name for the next full moon after the Harvest Moon. It’s called the Hunter’s Moon, and it’ll come this year on October 29. Officially, the crest of the full Harvest Moon will happen on September 29, 2012 at 10:19 p.m. CDT (3:19 on September 30 Universal Time). Depending upon your time zone, the full moon will be September 29 or 30. But the moon will appear round and full on all the nights around this full moon.

Why is the Harvest Moon special?
Harvest Moon is just a name. In the Northern Hemisphere, you’ll always see the Harvest Moon in either September or October. In the Southern Hemisphere, a moon with these same characteristics always comes in March or April. But the Harvest Moon is more. Nature is particularly cooperative around the time of the autumn equinox to make the full moonrises unique around this time. Here’s what happens. On average, the moon rises about 50 minutes later each day. But when a full moon happens close to the autumnal equinox, the moon (at mid-temperate latitudes) rises only about 30 minutes later daily for several days before and after the full Harvest moon.

Why? The reason is that the ecliptic – or the moon’s orbital path – makes a narrow angle with the evening horizon around the time of the autumn equinox. The narrow angle of the ecliptic results in a shorter-than-usual rising time between successive moonrises around the full Harvest Moon. These early evening moonrises are what make every Harvest Moon special. Every full moon rises around sunset. After the full Harvest Moon, you’ll see the moon ascending in the east relatively soon after sunset for several days in a row at northerly latitudes. The lag time between successive moonrises shrinks to a yearly minimum, as described in the paragraph above. Because of this, it seems as if there are several full moons – for several nights in a row – around the time of the Harvest Moon.

Is the Harvest Moon bigger, or brighter or more colorful? Not necessarily, but the actual size of the Harvest Moon depends on the year. The Harvest Moon has the reputation of being especially big and bright and orange. But it isn’t really the Harvest Moon’s size or brightness that distinguishes it from other full moons. In fact, the 2012 Harvest Moon is a touch smaller than an average-sized full moon.
Still, you might think otherwise. That’s because the Harvest Moon has such a powerful mystique. Many people look for it shortly after sunset around the time of full moon. After sunset around any full moon, the moon will always be near the horizon. It’ll just have risen. It’s the location of the moon near the horizon that causes the Harvest Moon – or any full moon – to look big and orange in color. The orange color of a moon near the horizon is a true physical effect. It stems from the fact that – when you look toward the horizon – you are looking through a greater thickness of Earth’s atmosphere than when you gaze up and overhead. The atmosphere scatters blue light – that’s why the sky looks blue. The greater thickness of atmosphere in the direction of a horizon scatters blue light most effectively, but it lets red light pass through to your eyes. So a moon near the horizon takes on a yellow or orange or reddish hue. The bigger-than-usual size of a moon seen near the horizon is something else entirely. It’s a trick that your eyes are playing – an illusion – called the Moon Illusion. You can lengthy explanations of the Moon Illusion by googling those words yourself.

How the Harvest Moon got its name:

So why is this moon – the moon closest to the autumnal equinox – called the Harvest Moon? The shorter-than-usual time between moonrises around the full Harvest Moon means no long period of darkness between sunset and moonrise for days in succession. In the days before tractor lights, the lamp of the Harvest Moon helped farmers to gather their crops, despite the diminishing daylight hours. As the sun’s light faded in the west, the moon would soon rise in the east to illuminate the fields throughout the night.

Who named the Harvest Moon? That name probably sprang to the lips of farmers throughout the Northern Hemisphere, on autumn evenings, as the Harvest Moon aided in bringing in the crops. The name was popularized in the early 20th century by the song below. Shine On Harvest Moon By Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth (1903) Shine on, shine on harvest moon Up in the sky, I ain’t had no lovin’ Since January, February, June or July Snow time ain’t no time to stay Outdoors and spoon, So shine on, shine on harvest moon, For me and my gal. Bottom line: The Harvest Moon will come in late September in 2012. The Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox, which in 2012 comes on September 22. So the full moon of September 29-30 is 2012′s Harvest Moon. October 1 will have a beautiful bright full-looking moon, too. The Harvest Moon is not really bigger, brighter or more pumpkin-colored than other full moons, but it’s special because, at this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere, the time between successive moonrises is shorter than usual.” – Deborah Byrd

Full Moon Names “The Full Corn Moon corresponds with the time of harvesting corn. It is also called the Barley Moon, because it is the time to harvest and thresh the ripened barley.

This month, we also celebrate what we call a Harvest Moon, which is the full Moon nearest the autumnal equinox. It can occur in September or October and is bright enough to allow finishing all the harvest chores. The Full Harvest Moon is different than all our other full Moons. Around this date, the Moon rises at almost the same time for a number of nights in our northern latitudes.” – Farmer’s Almanac

Fall Festivities:
Pinecone Wreaths/Garland
Making Jams or Jellies
Fall Decorating around the home
Canning Fruits (Peaches, Pears, Stewed Tomatoes, Ect.)
Acorn String Garland
Leaf Prints

Fall Recipes:
Apples come into season this time of the year. Apple recipes and squash recipes are what it’s about.
Below are some that I have found to be wonderful.
Apple Butter Recipe
 Prep time: 20 minutes
 Cook time: 2 hours
INGREDIENTS
 4 lbs of good cooking apples (we use Granny Smith or Gravenstein)
 1 cup apple cider vinegar
 2 cups water
 Sugar (about 4 cups, see cooking instructions)
 Salt
 2 teaspoons cinnamon
 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
 1/2 teaspoon allspice
 Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
Equipment Needed
 1 wide 8-quart pan (Stainless steel or copper with stainless steel lining)
 A food mill or a chinois sieve
 A large (8 cup) measuring cup pourer
 6-8 8-ounce canning jars
METHOD
Preparing the Fruit
1 Cut the apples into quarters, without peeling or coring them (much of the pectin is in the cores and flavor in the peels), cut out damaged parts.
First Stage of Cooking
2 Put them into large pot, add the vinegar and water, cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cook until apples are soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
Measure out the purée and add the sugar and spices
3 Ladle apple mixture into a chinois sieve (or foodmill) and using a pestle force pulp from the chinois into a large bowl below. Measure resulting puree. Add 1/2 cup of sugar for each cup of apple pulp. Stir to dissolve sugar. Add a dash of salt, and the cinnamon, ground cloves, allspice, lemon rind and juice. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
Second Stage of Cooking
4 Cook uncovered in a large, wide, thick-bottomed pot on medium low heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Scrape the bottom of the pot while you stir to make sure a crust is not forming at the bottom. Cook until thick and smooth (about 1 to 2 hours). A small bit spooned onto a chilled (in the freezer) plate will be thick, not runny. You can also cook the purée on low heat, stirring only occasionally, but this will take much longer as stirring encourages evaporation. (Note the wider the pan the better, as there is more surface for evaporation.)
Canning
5 There are several ways to sterilize your jars for canning. You can run them through a short cycle on your dishwasher. You can place them in a large pot (12 quart) of water on top of a steaming rack (so they don’t touch the bottom of the pan), and bring the water to a boil for 10 minutes. Or you can rinse out the jars, dry them, and place them, without lids, in a 200°F oven for 10 minutes.
6 Pour into hot, sterilized jars and seal. If you plan to store the apple butter un-refrigerated, make sure to follow proper canning procedures. Before applying the lids, sterilize the lids by placing them in a bowl and pouring boiling water over them. Wipe the rims of the jars clean before applying the lids. I use a hot water bath for 10 minutes to ensure a good seal.
As an alternative to stove cooking the puree you can cook uncovered in a microwave, on medium heat to simmer, for around 30 minutes.
Yield: Makes a little more than 3 pint jars.

Apple Cobbler Recipe
Note: we like our cobblers and pies fairly tart; you can easily add more sugar to the filling if you like it a bit sweeter than what we have here.
INGREDIENTS
Filling ingredients:
 1/4 cup sugar (or more, up to 1/2 cup, to taste)
 1 1/2 Tbsp flour
 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
 4 Tbsp (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
 3 lbs. tart apples (such as granny smith), peeled, cored, and sliced (about 6 large apples)
 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Crust ingredients:
 2 cups flour
 1/4 cup sugar
 2 teaspoon baking powder
 1/4 teaspoon salt
 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
 2 Tbsp coarsely chopped crystallized ginger
 Zest of one orange
 1 cup heavy cream, plus more for glaze
METHOD
1 Filling directions: Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Stir in apple slices, lemon juice, cinnamon, sugar and flour. Cover partially and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Transfer to buttered 10″ pie dish. (This recipe has the crust only on the top).
2 Crust directions: In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in ginger. Stir orange zest into cream; then, using a fork, stir cream into flour until the doug holds together. Gather dough into a ball; knead briefly then roll out to a little larger than pie dish. Transfer to dish; trim off excess. Score the center so the steam can escape while baking. Brush with cream.
3 Bake 10 minutes in a 450ºF (230°C) oven. Reduce heat to 375ºF (190°C) and bake 20-25 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream.
Yield: Serves 6-8

Apple Crisp Recipe
INGREDIENTS
 7 tart apples, peeled, cored and sliced
 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
 1 cup brown sugar
 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
 1 cup rolled oats
 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
METHOD
1 Preheat oven to 375°F. In a mixing bowl, combine apples, lemon juice, and vanilla. Toss to combine.
2 Layer sliced apples in a 9 x 12-inch (or approximately the same size) baking pan.
3 Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and oatmeal in a bowl. Cut in the butter. Sprinkle sugar mixture over apples.
4 Bake 45 minutes or until topping looks crunchy and apples are tender.
Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Yield: Serves 8.

AppleSauce
INGREDIENTS
 3 to 4 lbs of peeled, cored, and quartered apples. (Make sure you use a good cooking apple like Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Granny Smith, Fuji, Jonathan, Mcintosh, or Gravenstein.)
 4 strips of lemon peel – use a vegetable peeler to strip 4 lengths
 Juice of one lemon, about 3-4 Tbsp
 3 inches of cinnamon stick
 1/4 cup of dark brown sugar
 up to 1/4 cup of white sugar
 1 cup of water
 1/2 teaspoon of salt
METHOD
1 Put all ingredients into a large pot. Cover. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
2 Remove from heat. Remove cinnamon sticks and lemon peels. Mash with potato masher.
Ready to serve, either hot or refrigerated. Delicious with vanilla ice cream or vanilla yogurt.
Freezes easily, lasts up to one year in a cold freezer.

Classic Baked Acorn Squash Recipe

 Prep time: 10 minutes
 Cook time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
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INGREDIENTS
 1 Acorn squash
 1 Tbsp Butter
 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
 2 teaspoons Maple Syrup
 Dash of Salt
METHOD
1 Preheat oven to 400°F.
2 Using a strong chef’s knife, and perhaps a rubber mallet to help, cut the acorn squash in half, lengthwise, from stem to end. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff in the center of each half. Score the insides of each half several times with a sharp knife. Place each half in a baking pan, cut side up. Add about a 1/4 inch of water to the bottom of the baking pan so that the skins don’t burn and the squash doesn’t get dried out.
3 Coat the inside of each half with 1/2 a Tbsp of butter. Add a dash of salt if you are using unsalted butter. Add a Tbsp of brown sugar to the cavity of each half. Dribble on a teaspoon of maple syrup to each half.
4 Bake in the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until the squash is very soft and the tops are browned. Do not undercook. When finished, remove from oven and let cool a little before serving. Spoon any buttery sugar sauce that has not already been absorbed by the squash over the exposed areas.
Yield: Serves 2 to 4, depending on how much squash you like to eat.

Sweet Potato Casserole
Yield: 8-10 servings. 6 cups mashed sweet potatoes (5 to 6 potatoes-see step #1) 3/4 cup dark brown sugar 1/2 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup melted butter 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 cups mini marshmallows Oatmeal Streusel: 1/2 cup rolled oats 4 tablespoons dark brown sugar 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 4 tablespoons cold butter Rub a little vegetable oil on the skin of each sweet potato and bake them in a preheated 400 degree oven for 60 to 70 minutes or until they are tender. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, scrape out the insides and use an electric mixer on high speed to beat the potatoes until they are mashed and smooth. Measure exactly 6 cups of the mashed sweet potato into a large bowl.
Add 3/4 cup brown sugar, heavy cream, melted butter, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and salt into the sweet potatoes and mix well with the beater until all the ingredients are incorporated. Pour this mixture into an 8×8-inch baking dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the oatmeal streusel by grinding the rolled oats to a fine flour using a food processor. A blender will also work. Combine the oat flour with 4 tablespoons brown sugar, all-purpose flour, and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut the cold butter into the dry mixture using a pastry knife or a fork. You should have a crumbly mixture with pea-size bits. Sprinkle this oatmeal streusel over the sweet potato mixture and pop it into the oven for 70 to 80 minutes or until the top begins to brown slightly. When you remove the casserole from the oven immediately spread the marshmallows over the top. Let this sit for about 10 minutes. The heat from the casserole will melt the marshmallows, and then it’s ready to serve.

If you have any personal traditions or recipes that you would like to share, please email us at info@fullmoonfantasies.com
Don’t forget to check out the website for fall supplies and kits…
Blessed Be……
Stay tuned for our Libra blog coming next….