Keeley Tolido ‘27
Matthew D’agostino ‘27
When summer slowly begins to fade away and transition into fall, that usually means a few different things for people: 1. The weather gets cooler; it’s time to start wearing long sleeves and full length pants, maybe you take out your coat that’s been hiding in your closet for the past 5 months. 2. The colors of the leaves change; you start noticing yellow, orange, even red trees, all of which were once bright green. 3. The days become shorter; here in Connecticut, the sun typically begins to set around 6:00 each day during the remaining few days of daylight savings. With all of this said, there is one more noticeable change that is important to a lot of people (and arguably the best); all the fun and delicious food that comes with autumn! Here at Trumbull High School, we surveyed over thirty students and teachers to gather information on popular, favorited fall foods.
Apple cider donuts are a very popular favorite fall food among students and teachers at THS – maybe even the most popular! Out of the 30 people we surveyed, 14 people mentioned apple cider donuts because of the rich, “fall vibe” and spirit it brings them. A couple people also noted how especially delicious they are at Plasko’s Farm Creamery & Cafe here in Trumbull, only a couple minutes away from THS. It can very well be concluded that apple cider donuts are known for their distinctive apple, fall flavor, including spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.
Similar to apple cider donuts, apple pie is another common fall food at THS. Apple pie also brings people that “fall feel”. Two people even noted how they enjoy making it with their families; even going to the extent of hand picking apples at an apple orchard, and creating a delicious pie after a long day at the farm. Apple pie is also a very notable dessert for the comfort it brings people, being that it is a soft and warm treat with cinnamon spices to put people into the fall spirit. A teacher even mentioned how vanilla ice cream completely transforms and upgrades the entire pie, creating a sweet, warm and cool contrast to the already delicious dessert.
Pumpkin pie is another classic fall food deeply rooted in history and tradition. Pumpkin pie’s fall association is due to the many harvests that take place during autumn; a few students noted how they look forward to pumpkin picking with their families each year, which makes sense because of the crisp, fall vibe pumpkin patches bring with their beautiful decorations and Halloween-themed activities including hay rides and corn mazes. Like apple pie, pumpkin pie is commonly paired with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream to again provide a contrast to the warm spices embedded in the pumpkin pie including cinnamon and nutmeg–without overpowering them.
The last (but not least) fall food we’d like to mention are cinnamon rolls, another popular favorite fall food at THS. It makes sense why cinnamon rolls are well liked as they are known for their warm, cozy and comforting nature. They also have the ability to be adapted with flavors like pumpkin, apple and maple–just imagine how delicious that sounds! Cinnamon rolls are perfect for a colder day, sitting by the fireplace and watching a classic Halloween movie such as Hocus Pocus or The Nightmare Before Christmas. They are also quite simple to make, as a no-yeast requiring cinnamon roll recipe will typically only require an all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, butter, milk, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
Several favorite fall foods were mentioned by the students and teachers interviewed, however the most frequent answers included apple cider donuts, apple pie, pumpkin pie, and cinnamon rolls. We hope this article inspires you to go out and have a fun, festive fall day enjoying these delicious fall foods.