How to prepare for winter during the autumn:
- Wash your cooler, summer bedsheets and replace them with warmer, flannel ones. The nights are growing colder, so you'll need them!
- Switch out your summer wardrobe for your winter one. It's time for sweaters and jeans! Remember to try on everything and make sure it still fits. If anything needs patched, now is the time to do so.
- Descale your coffee maker so it's ready for brewing. Fresh, warm beverages like tea, coffee, and cocoa are a must in cold weather! Descaling is easy to do and ensures that the coffee will brew nice and strong without getting gunked up.
- Clean out the house one final time from top to bottom. You won't be able to air out the house as much during the winter if you live in a colder place like me, so with the house shut up for so many months a dusty, dirty home can get overwhelming and lead to depression. My advice is to start with emptying out the cupboards and placing anything you haven't used or think you won't mix in a box and put it in the garage or some other storage place. When spring comes, keep anything in the boxes that you actually missed during the winter. If you didn't miss it or forgot it existed during that time, then the item no longer serves you and can be given away or repurposed. After cupboards are organized and decluttered, wipe down any ceiling lights and fans, dust and repair any furniture, scrub down the windows, and vacuum or sweep the floors. Finally, air out the house and freshen up the vibe with some candles or a potpourri. Try not to use incense since the smoke is better for spring (in winter you just trap the smoke in the house and it settles on the furniture!).
- After that last incredibly long paragraph, we continue to the more niche categories. If you have a fireplace, a wood-burning stove, or a firepit outside, make sure the firewood is chopped and easily accessible. You'll want to keep the fires burning all winter long. If you have an electric or gas heater, switch out the filters and check to make sure it runs properly before you really need it.
- If you grow a garden, take in your harvest and complete all of your canning, jarring, and otherwise preserving of foods to squirrel away and hold you fast until next summer when produce returns. Then tear up the dying plants to empty out the garden beds (unless it's a plant that needs to stay rooted until next year like garlic or onion). Make sure to save and label seeds from your best plants too so you can grow them again next year! Bring in any flowers or house-type plants from outside if you want to keep them, and cover up any berry bushes to protect them from the cold. Fertilize the now empty garden beds and till the soil to expose pests to the frost.
- If you have an orchard, make sure you take all of the old fruit out of the trees and move it away, as it will otherwise attract insects as it rots. After the first hard frost, spray down the tree trunks thoroughly with neem oil (it's completely naturally derived and organic, don't worry) to kill off any pests or fungus hiding in the bark and weed around the tree base. Then use a pitchfork to fluff the soil, exposing any bug larva and eggs to the chilly frost to cull them and keep them away from your trees during the next year. Wrap the base of the trees in garden fleece to prevent any more insects from attempting to re-lay their eggs in the bark. And finally, you'll want to do the pruning during winter itself since the tree will be dormant then.
- If you hunt or fish, the season is upon us! Properly get your license and/or permit and only take what DNR or your local equivalent says you can. They set those limits for a reason, so follow them! Place any extra meat in a freezer to use throughout the winter months. Personally, I highly suggest learning how to butcher and process prey on your own because it's less wasteful when you have the option of keeping the bones (broth and tools), the pelt or skin (leather), etc. All organs are just as edible as the meat itself and are far more nutritious. If you don't like the taste, smoke it and make it into jerky. There's honestly no excuse to waste anything, regardless of which side of the fence you stand on with meat-eating. If you have the time to go sit outside for hours and hunt, you have time to respect the animal and do things properly. Plus, there will be more resources for your time. Try to only take what you will actually need and use. Anything you don't use, give it to the eagles, crows, foxes, etc. Because they will be more than grateful for the easy prey during the scarcity of winter. You can also respect and honor the prey populations by leaving out some grain for them for the same reason.
- If you have any sort of livestock, winterize their pens/coops and make sure they will be comfortable during the dark months. Stock up on any feed they will need to ensure they won't go hunger and deep clean their areas thoroughly, including their troughs and water areas. Contrary to the belief of some farmers, corn damages your animals insides to a severe extent as no ones bodies (even ours!) are actually made to eat that. We just can't break it down all the way, and the vast majority of corn is sprayed to Pluto and back with harsh chemicals that cling to the grain. Take the time to look up proper diets for livestock (and yes, affordable options DO exist while still maintaining the health of the animal!). This will also grant you better quality product as well and is well worth it Check the animals over for any diseases and deal with them.
- If you follow the more rugged, off-grid path, collect any final herbs, spices, or mushrooms you may require during the winter. Craft and stock up on medicines, candles, soaps, and any other tools you might need. Check over your energy/power source to ensure they function properly and your water system for any issues. Make any necessary, final updates to the house (check to make sure the windows are tight-fitting, insulation is up to par, etc.) so it stays warm and safe during the winter.
