What Fall Rituals Can Do With Apples?

Apples are a versatile and essential part of any fall celebration, offering various magical spells and rituals. They can be added to fall altars, placed around the home, or cooked into delicious dishes for mealtimes. The wood from an apple tree can be used to craft runes, Ogham staves, or a wand or staff. Apples can also be used in rituals to call upon clarity and insight, or simply enjoyed while sipping spiced wine by the fire.

Apple colors can be used as a base for an altar, with deep reds, oranges, golds, and browns being popular choices. One way to use apples in magic is to perform a harvest blessing by cutting an apple crosswise to reveal the pentagram-shaped core. For a pink applesauce, use red apples and leave the skins on. Apples and grapevines can bring magic into your life during this time of year.

Mabon prayers can be used to mark the autumn equinox in celebrations. Apple magic can be achieved by creating a Mabon altar with symbols of the season, such as apples, pumpkins, gourds, grains, and autumn leaves. Place candles in autumn colors like orange, red, and brown, and crush apple leaves on fresh wounds to discourage corruption.

Apples were often featured in Pagan practices, and they can be brought into your home as fresh fruits, juices or ciders, delicious warm pies or cakes, or even scented candles. Apples became associated with magic and divination, manifesting into traditions such as apple bobbing, which was once used to peer into the future.

In conclusion, apples are a versatile and essential part of any fall celebration, offering various ways to incorporate them into your rituals and practices.

What to do with unwanted apples?

The fruit donation directory can help find a place to donate surplus apples or other fruit, saving it from waste. To arrange fruit donations, contact the organizations directly. The information on this page is accurate to the best of our knowledge. There are various groups across the UK that organize community harvests and accept surplus fruit donations. Check their directory to see if there’s one near you.

How to dispose of fallen apples?

Apples are an ideal organic waste for composting, as they can be covered with leaves, sawdust, and other soil to prevent them from being eaten by birds and insects. However, the best solution is to prevent windfall apples from occurring in the first place. Most apple varieties fall into a biennial bearing pattern, producing a heavy fruit set in year N, which suppresses fruit bud growth in the fall. This leads to windfalls, “june drop”, and under-mature fruit at the end of the season.

To avoid this, thin the fruit set before fruitlets reach the size of a US quarter. This will allow the tree to direct its resources towards the remaining fruit, leading to more fruit reaching maturity and larger, healthier, and typically sweeter fruit. Thinning can also be selective, taking fruitlets that have insect damage, fungal damage, or are incompletely formed. This improves the eventual harvest by increasing the number and proportion of well-formed, undamaged fruit the tree brings to maturity.

By thinning to a manageable number of fruit, the tree has energy to create fruit buds for the following season, giving more even production from year to year. Even if you thin, some drops and thinnings should be removed from the area. If composting, compost away from the tree, as fungus is a healthy part of the composting process but should not be encouraged to grow beneath the tree.

In summary, composting apples can help reduce windfalls and promote a healthier environment for the tree.

How to use fallen Apples?

Making apple scrap vinegar is a great way to use windfall apples or thinned apples in various ways around the home, such as cleaning and hair rinses. Dropped fruits can be left for wildlife in gardens and rot down to return nutrients to the soil. When growing our own and being self-sufficient, it’s important to think about ways to make use of things that might otherwise go to waste, such as unripe apples.

Why are Apples associated with fall?

Apples were considered the fruit of Avalon, the Isle of Apples, and their association with magic may have stemmed from their abundance at the festival of Samhain, a pre-Christian precursor to Hallowe’en. At Samhain, the veil between the living and the dead was thinned, and it was a time to convene with ancestors and tell the future. Apples became associated with magic and divination, manifesting into traditions such as apple bobbing, where girls would dunk for apples with the initials of a suitable local young man carved into them.

Another custom involved young women paring an apple of its skin and hurling it over her shoulder, with the peel falling in the shape of the first letter of her husband’s name. Apple Day celebrations on and around October 21 provide opportunities for children to reenact this ancient tradition without considering Avalon, ancestors, or future spouses. This thread reaches back through time, indicating that connection with the landscape and the magic and ritual once invested in major crops remains.

What does to fall in the apples mean?

The term “register” has its etymological roots in the notion of fainting or losing consciousness, as in the case of falling into apples.

How to celebrate autumn equinox pagan?

Mabon feasts for the Autumn Equinox are a time of gratitude for the abundant harvest the earth has provided. This involves gathering loved ones and enjoying dishes made from the season’s treasures, such as apples, pumpkins, squash, and grains. This act of sharing and indulgence not only nourishes the body but also fosters a sense of unity with the earth’s seasonal abundance. Harvesting and preserving food is a deeply spiritual endeavor, connecting us to the cycles of nature and reminding us of the importance of preparation and sustainability.

Apple divination folklore suggests that apples, nature’s dual oracle, bore secrets of life and death within their sweet flesh and delicate blooms. They became a cherished symbol of love, with various divinations such as casting apple pips into the fire, peeling an apple in a single strip, and partaking together, all symbolizing a enduring and fruitful union in love’s embrace.

What are the spiritual practices for fall equinox?

The Autumnal Equinox, also known as the September or Fall Equinox, marks the start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere on September 23rd, 2023. This season is marked by the end of summer, shorter days, and changes in leaves. The word equinox, derived from the Latin words aequus meaning “equal” and nox meaning “night”, signifies the perfect balance between day and night. The equinox is a time to honor the harvest and reap what was sown, spiritually and interpersonally, expressing gratitude and thanks, revisiting goals and routines, and reflecting on accomplishments in the year thus far. To celebrate this transition, it is essential to clear space in your home, create a gratitude list or journal, connect with nature, create an Autumnal Altar, and prepare an Equinox Feast.

Can I use apples that have fallen on the ground?

Dropped apples are not recommended for fresh eating, juicing, baking, or canning due to the risk of patulin formation. Proper handling practices and gentle harvesting can reduce stem injuries and the development of patulin. Proper holding temperatures can also help reduce the development of the patulin toxin during storage. Research is ongoing to control for this toxin and determine storage temperatures, handling practices, and other variables affecting its growth.

However, apples that have fallen to the ground can be used for making hard cider if they are processed by a certified “kill step” like fermentation. This exemption is allowed under 21 CFR § 112. 2(b) under the FSMA produce safety rule.

How to honor the fall equinox?

The Autumnal Equinox is a time to honor the transition from summer to fall, focusing on change, reflection, and gratitude. To celebrate this season, consider these 12 rituals:

1. Burn candles to bring in the light: Light scented candles to illuminate your space.
2. Write a letter of gratitude: Express your appreciation for someone who has played a significant role in your life.
3. Create a Gratitude Jar: Fill a jar with notes of gratitude for the blessings in your life.
4. Perform a Gratitude Ritual: Have a bonfire or create your own candle ritual by writing what you’re grateful for on paper, reading it aloud, and burning the paper using a candle or bonfire.
5. Perform a Release Ritual: Let go of what no longer serves you.
6. Arrange an Autumn Altar: Create a special space in your home to honor the Autumnal Equinox and the coming fall season. Decorate your home with seasonal touches, lighting fall candles to engage all senses.
7. Journal: Spend time writing in your journal to reminisce about summer experiences, reflect on shifts, release what no longer serves you, or express gratitude for the blessings in your life.
8. Spend Time in Nature: Connect with the natural world by spending time outdoors, such as visiting a local park or hiking trails.
9. Cook with Seasonal Vegetables: Celebrate the fall harvest by preparing meals using seasonal vegetables.
10. Enjoy Your Favorite Fall Beverage: Indulge in your favorite fall beverage and enjoy the cozy flavors of the season.
11. Host a Seasonal Celebration: Invite friends and family for a seasonal gathering, prepare a menu featuring fall-inspired dishes or host a Fall Harvest-themed potluck. Enjoy autumnal food and beverages, have a bonfire, and don’t forget to carve or decorate pumpkins together.

What is the theory of the falling apple?

Isaac Newton, a renowned scientist, developed the law of universal gravitation in his 1869 book Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy. Legend has it that Newton first developed gravitational theory in 1665 or 1666 after watching an apple fall. He believed that the force that causes an apple to fall and hold us on the ground is the same as the force that keeps the moon and planets in their orbits. This theory was later adopted by the Royal Society, the UK’s national academy of science.

What to do with fallen fruit?

Fallen fruits can be used to make preserves or juice, especially apples, if they are pest-free and have only a few bruises and imperfections. They can be safely added to a compost pile or given to local farmers, who will happily remove them. If the fruits are infested or diseased, they should be discarded. Consult your municipality to see if they can be safely composted. It is important not to leave fallen fruits to decay on the ground, as they can become mouldy and ferment, posing a threat to pets, insects, and crops. If you haven’t done so, there is still time before winter sets in.