This blog was written by Maggie MacPherson, a student at The Greenspire School, as part of a class project called Food for Good. In this project, 11th and 12th grade students explore how food—and how we write about it—plays an incredibly important role in both our personal lives and our communities. Guided by Language Arts teacher Philip Girard, students draw inspiration from writers like Julia Child and Anthony Bourdain to shape their own food stories. Maggie’s piece is a rich, sensory celebration of autumn and its most nostalgic treat: the doughnut. With memories of her family’s orchard and sticky cherry confections, she invites us into a world where seasonal flavors and cozy traditions rise like warm dough on a crisp fall morning.
Autumnal Indulgence: The Sweet Magic of Seasonal Doughnuts
As the leaves blaze into shades of amber and the air takes on that familiar, crisp bite, few delights encapsulate the spirit of autumn like doughnuts. They pop up everywhere—from bustling grocery stores to charming local bakeries, from pumpkin patches to sun-dappled orchards. My family worked at a local cherry orchard that morphed from a u-pick operation to a cider-mill with the shifting season of fall. We were immersed in the enchanting alchemy of doughnut-making long before the autumn frenzy set in. Our doughnut mix, like many other farm adjacent places (Orchards, pumpkin patches ext.) comes from Mrs. Barrets in Swartz Creek, Michigan.
In our sunroom, we set up our doughnut-making contraption; a gleaming machine with a precise dropper for shaping the doughnuts, a bubbling cauldron of canola oil for frying, and a conveyor belt that whisks our creations towards their destiny. Our first batch emerged—imperfect but undeniably delicious cherry doughnuts. They were sweet and pink, resembling cherries only in the way that crushed fruit can find itself ensconced in a cloud of pop rock batter. The vibrant frosting dried on our countertops like stubborn concrete, a cheerful menace that decorated our kitchen in sticky splendor. The entire process took just about an hour to yield a glorious 40 doughnuts, after which we faced the messy aftermath. Our mixer, a hulking commercial beast, couldn’t squeeze into the dishwasher. So we dragged it out to the porch and hosed it down like my siblings and I did when our sandy selves returned from the beach.
These doughnuts quickly became the talk of the orchard. Patrons delighted in their sweet, nostalgic flavor, with one enthusiastic customer declaring them “crack.” As fall settled in, we transitioned to making apple cinnamon doughnuts, each variety capturing the season’s spirit in a delectable way. It was those cinnamon doughnuts that saw me through the chilly, gray days spent working at the stall, their warmth a balm against the bite of fall. They may lack the bright cheeriness of summer treats, but they offer a comfort akin to wrapping yourself in a soft blanket while watching old Peanuts cartoons on repeat.
Whether you’re enchanted by the fruity explosion of cherry or find solace in the warm spice of apple cinnamon, doughnuts are a timeless taste of the seasons, an indulgence that captures the very heart of autumn.
