Pumpkin Pie Spice

September. The garden cleared, the tools cleaned, the season turning. Made apple butter again — a bushel of Granny Smiths, slow cooker, twenty-four hours. The house smelled like October in September, which is fine because apple butter doesn't follow the calendar and neither does the feeling of fall, which arrives in me before it arrives in the trees.

Amber called with news. She's pregnant. Due in February. My daughter, who was a baby in Evarts and a girl in Lexington and a nurse at UK Hospital and a bride in Louisville, is going to be a mother. I sat down. Not because I was surprised — because the weight of it needed a chair. Another grandchild. Another Hensley, or Hensley-Okonkwo, or Okonkwo-Hensley, or whatever name they give this child, and the name doesn't matter because the child will be mine to feed, mine to hold, mine to talk to in the kitchen while the soup beans cook and the world keeps spinning.

Called Betty. She said about time, same thing she said about Travis. Betty's about time is her highest form of approval — it means she's been waiting, which means she's been hoping, which means she cares enough to have expectations, and Betty's expectations are the expectations of a woman who believes that babies should come frequently and in large numbers because babies are the evidence that the family is continuing and continuation is the point.

When the apple butter was done and the slow cooker was cooling and the house still held that warm cinnamon-clove smell, I started thinking about how often I reach for pumpkin pie spice this time of year — in the apple butter itself, in the oatmeal, in whatever Betty’s bringing over. I’ve been making my own blend for a while now because the store jars are never quite right, and on a day when you get the kind of news Amber gave me, you want to make something with your hands that lasts a while. This one keeps for months in a jar. Just like family.

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 5 minutes | Servings: About 6 tablespoons

Ingredients

3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice

Instructions

Combine. Measure all spices into a small bowl and whisk together until evenly blended.
Store. Transfer to a small airtight jar or spice container with a tight-fitting lid.
Label. Write the date on the jar. The blend stays fresh and fragrant for up to 6 months stored in a cool, dry place away from direct light.
Use. Add to apple butter, oatmeal, baked goods, pancakes, or anywhere the season calls for it. Start with 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons per recipe as a direct substitute for store-bought pumpkin pie spice.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pumpkin Pie Spice — The Smell of October Before October Comes