Fall Harvest vs. Halloween

To contact us Click HERE

Willow Pond Organic Farm

How does your familycelebrate?  Do you celebrate the Fall Harvest or Halloween?  Do you celebrateboth?  How do you incorporate thetwo?  Does the Switch Witch come to your house for Halloween?  If you have time to share, I’d love to hearwhat you do. 
For many of us “Real Food”parents, Halloween can be an interesting time. 
Now that my daughter is inKindergarten, Halloween is being talked about more.  In the past, Little Love has dressed up incostumes for Halloween and gone to see my mom, my Aunt and a few neighbors, butit’s never been for the traditional commercial candy/trick-or-treat.  I have tried to incorporate the Fall Harvest into Halloween with annual trips to pick organic pumpkins and apples,carving pumpkins at home and making a little party out of it, making homemadetreats, and instead of commercial candies on Halloween, she gets littlepresents from my mom and organic chocolates. 
This year, since more andmore kids are talking about Halloween at her school (she goes to a Waldorfschool, they have a Harvest Festival and do not celebrate Halloween, so thathelps some), I’ve decided to incorporate TheSwitch Witch.
Thereis a beautiful book called "The Switch Witch"by Charity A. O'Neil-O'Kane that talks about a differentway for families to celebrate Halloween (without the overload of commercialcandy).  She is not a scary witch (whichI appreciate), she lives in her house (which is more enchanted than haunted)with her cat Magic and has pumpkins and cornfields in her yard.  She visits homes on Halloween night wherechildren with imaginations live, and she has the power to make a healthier Halloween.  I love this concept and this book.  The idea is that on Halloween night the Switch Witch can come and visit, takeaway the commercial candies (or some of them) and switch it out with healthieralternatives or treats, or even a special gift. 

Little Love getting ready to choose some pumpkins.

Inour home, we start to celebrate the Fall Harvest before Halloween.  My Little Love already got to go to ourfavorite organic farm, pick out her pumpkins and pick some apples (withme and her grandma/my mom), she looks forward to this tradition everyyear.  She celebrates the Harvest Festival today at her school.  AsHalloween approaches, we will celebrate by carving pumpkins and having homemadetreats.  This year I will probably makesome gluten-free Owl-looking chocolate pumpkin cupcakes, some fresh fruitskewers, and maybe some caramel corn or caramel apples. 

Little Love and her little organic pumpkin.

Little Love picking some apples with her grandma.

Litte Love and Me

Wishingeveryone a beautiful Fall Harvest and a Happy Halloween!

Need Recipe Ideas forHealthier Homemade Treats?
Here are some of myfamily’s favorites:



Spiced Pumpkin Smoothie







Honey-Sweetened Hot Chocolate











Spiced Pumpkin Tea (Chai – w/o black tea, caffeine free)








Slow Cooked Pears








Chocolate Fudge Sauce (to top your favorite ice cream)








Chocolate Pumpkin Cake (sprouted gluten-free flour & egg-free)


Mini Warm Chocolate Cakes








Chocolate Covered Frozen Banana Bites








Sprouted Cut-Out Cookies (use Fall or Halloween theme cookie cutters)






Need Ideas forHealthier, Organic, Fair Trade Chocolates & Candy? 
Endangered Species Chocolate – Natural, Organic, Fair Trade, Ethically Traded
·     Milk and DarkChocolates
Heavenly Organics – Organic, Sustainable, Fairly Traded, No RefinedSugars
·     These amazingchocolates come in Mint, Pomegranate, Ginger, and Almond … my absolute favoriteis the Chocolate Mints, they remind me of my childhood days when I used to eat Junior Mints.  The soft honey center is unbelievable.  Fillings are made with Raw, Organic WhiteHimalayan Honey, Chocolate Shells made with Organic Unsweetened Chocolate.
Stirs the SOUL – Organic Raw Chocolates, Fairly Traded, Sustainable, Allergy andGluten-Free, Unrefined Sugars
·     Chocolates areBanana-Fig-Currant Sweetened, Date Sweetened, Coconut Palm Sugar Sweetened, orRaw Honey Sweetened. ·     There are manyflavors to choose from such as Blissful Dark, Spiced Chai, Mint, Orange Gogi,Cayenne Cinnamon, Honey Rose, Lavender, Coconut, Espresso, Hemp, Hemp &Maitake.  I have had the honey and datesweetened chocolates – the dark, spiced chai, mint, cayenne cinnamon and orangegogi flavors.  All were delicious.    
Yummy Earth – Organic, Gluten-Free, No Artificial Flavors or Colors, No HighFructose Corn Syrup, Real Fruit Extracts
·     Lollipops,Jelly Beans, Gummy Worms, Twist Wrapped Hard Candies.