September
The real new year. September has better weather than August and none of its laziness — school starts, work sharpens, and the light turns clear and hard. For about three weeks it is summer in the afternoon and autumn by nine o'clock, which is the best weather the country gets.
Days 244–273 · Sunset near 7:12
In Season
What the month is made ofAt the market
The overlap month: the last tomatoes and the first apples on the same table. Grapes, figs, winter squash, and corn that is nearly done. Buy tomatoes now and cook them down for December.
The light
Clear, low and hard-edged. September light is what photographers wait all year for and it lasts about four weeks.
The kitchen
Preserving, if you are going to. Otherwise this is the month the oven comes back on and nobody objects.
The rituals
Labor Day and the end of the season, the first day of school, the equinox, and the weekend it is suddenly football again.
What to Wear Now
Summer clothes with an autumn layerThe first sweater
Not needed at two o'clock, essential at eight. Keep it in the car.
Denim returns
After three months of shorts and linen, September denim feels like a decision made well.
Closed shoes again
The mornings are wet now. Put the sandals away in the third week.
The September List
Four things worth owning this monthA crewneck that lasts
Worn from now until May. Buy the wool one.
See it →Preserving jars
One afternoon in September pays out all winter.
See it →A school-year notebook
The new year starts now, whatever the calendar says.
See it →A stadium blanket
Football, fire pits, and the last dinners outside.
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