September 2022

The Harvest Moon

September 9-10, 2022

Look for September’s 2022 full Harvest Moon to appear just after sunset on Friday, September 9th. It reaches peak illumination at 5:58 A.M. Eastern Time on Saturday the 10th, drifting below the horizon shortly thereafter.

Why Is It Called the Harvest Moon?

The names used for full moons by The Old Farmer’s Almanac come from a number of places, including Native American, Colonial American, and European sources. Traditionally, each full moon name was applied to the entire lunar month in which it occurred and through all of the Moon’s phases—not only the full moon. The harvest moon, however, is a bit different!

The Harvest Moon

The full moon that occurs nearest to the fall equinox (September 22 or 23) always takes on the name “Harvest Moon.” Unlike other full moons, this one rises at nearly the same time—around sunset—for several evenings in a row. This gives farmers several extra evenings of moonlight and allows them to finish their harvests before the frosts of fall arrive. Read more about the Harvest Moon.

While September’s moon is usually known as the Harvest Moon, if October’s full Moon happens to occur closer to the equinox than September’s, it takes on the name “Harvest Moon” instead. In this case, September’s moon is referred to as the “Corn Moon”.

What’s Going on in September:

★ Element: Earth

★ Season: Late summer

★ Direction: Center

★ Colors: Yellow

★ Taste: Sweet

★ Climate: Dampness

★ Stages of Development: Transformation

★ Number: 5

★ Planet: Saturn

★ Yin-Yang: Center

★ Animal: Human

★ Grains: Rice

★ Yin Organ: Spleen

★ Yang Organ: Stomach

★ Sense Organ: Mouth

★ Tissue: Muscle

★ Emotion: Pensive

★ Sounds: Singing

The spleen’s main function is to assist stomach digestion by transporting and transforming food essences, absorbing the nourishment from food, and separating the usable from the unusable.

The spleen is the central organ in the production of Qi. The original Qi is replenished by the stomach and spleen. The spleen is said to be the resident of the intellect- responsible for applied thinking, studying, memorizing, focusing, concentrating, and generating ideas. Overthinking weakens the spleen.

The stomach’s main function is rotting and ripening food and drink- often compared to a bubbling cauldron. The 5 yin organs derive Qi from the stomach, and thus the stomach is the root of the 5 yin organs. The stomach Qi became synonymous with a good prognosis and life itself. “If there is stomach Qi, there is life, if there is no stomach Qi, there is death.”

The tongue coating gives a good idea of the relative strength or weakness of stomach Qi. The stomach easily suffers from excess patterns such as phlegm and fire. Fire can easily agitate the mind and cause mental symptoms such as mental confusion, severe anxiety, hypomania, and hyperactivity.

Foods that are mildly sweet, yellow or golden, round foods, millet, corn, carrot, cabbage, garbanzo beans, soybeans, squash, potatoes, string beans, yams, tofu, sweet potatoes, sweet rice, rice, amaranth, peas, chestnuts, filberts, apricots, cantaloupe are the best foods for stomach Qi in September.

Eating well right now will keep you healthy all year long! How you care for your gut does matter. Eating seasonally and healthy most of the time is important. With back to school, make sure you nourish and honor your spleen with all the overthinking, take brain breaks, and enjoy these long days with cooler evenings for walks.

Sara’s Recommendations

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Recipe: Cinnamon Carrot (or Zucchini or both!) Muffins

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp Cinnamon (I like to use 1 tablespoon)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups shredded carrots, zucchini, or a combo of both
1/2 cup walnuts (I make one batch with and one without for the boys)
1/2 cup raisin
1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
3 large eggs
1 cup oil (I always use olive oil)
2 tsp vanilla
1 apple – I use whatever I have in the fridge, but most recommend granny smith
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Whisk in sugar, carrots and walnuts, raisins, and coconut.
In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, and vanilla.
Peel and core apple, shred, and add to egg mixture.
Combine flour mixture and egg mixture.
Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and bake for about 15-20 minutes.
Cool and enjoy!

If you make a double batch, freeze half and they will be a perfect breakfast or snack when the next cold front rolls in.