This month air is crisp, colors are vibrant, and the days keep getting shorter. There will be frost on the pumpkin, a last rose of summer, and a harvest of green tomatoes. Autumn also holds a sequence of special full moons and the end of Daylight Savings Time with setting our clocks back one hour. All these occasions signal changing seasons. Two of my favorites this time of year are the full moons and harvest. So let me wax.

In September we had the Harvest Moon and this month we have a Hunter Moon. These moons are in song and celebration. I bet you can hum "Shine on Shine on Harvest Moon." The Feast of the Hunter Moon in Lafayette is known nationwide and pays homage to early pioneers and Hoosier lifestyle in the woodlands of Indiana.

The full moon closest to the autumnal equinox is named the Harvest Moon. This year it was in September. For your edification, here are the dates and names of the remaining full moons in 2013.

As we gather in this year's harvests, I want to share a project I completed this year. The Love Apple Project was based on an idea of Ross Ferris, backyard gardener and vendor at the Indianapolis Farmer's market. He had the vision of tapping other people's backyards to grow produce. Home-grown produce was his legacy. This inspired our garden group at St. Luke's United Methodist Church to give out tomato plants early last May - more than 200 of them. All summer I heard reports about growing progress, including concerns for delayed ripening. Alas, the harvest began.

Our church supports the food pantry at Fletcher Place on Prospect and State. To date we have delivered a much appreciated bounty of more than 200 pounds of gorgeous, home-grown, vine-ripened tomatoes of all varieties plus peaches, apples, and miscellaneous produce. This was a great harvest project. I didn't have to plant, water, or pick. I just transported the tomatoes to Fletcher Place. We all enjoyed accomplishing the challenge and sharing. As you know, tomatoes were called Love Apples. We did put lots of love into this project and the folks loved enjoying the fresh produce. If you want more information on how to do a project like this, you can contact me through the Broad Ripple Gazette.

Harvest is a time to appreciate and enjoy our bounty. Soon the trees will be bare, wonderful seasonal produce will be gone, and the gray days of winter will be upon us. So one more time, light a fire, bite into a good Indiana apple, and catch the glow of full moons.