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The weather is grey, cloudy, and windy. The autumn season has arrived in Sweden. In Stockholm, the temperature is around 3 degrees Celsius in the morning. The first snowfall has already fallen in some parts of northern Sweden.

There are still flowers blooming in the southern region. The weather in autumn can be confusing. You never know if you will wake up to a beautiful day with blue skies and sunshine. Or just a day that is grey, windy, and rainy.

The majority of people prefer to stay indoors and have a fika on grey days. Whether at home or in a cafe or bakery. You’ll find a bakery and a cafe in most Swedish cities. We offer you unlimited fika.

Swedes are considered to be very active and sporty. This is a misconception I must challenge. In my opinion, Swedes are world champions at drinking coffee and eating sweets.

Have I mentioned the tradition of Lördagsgodis? Lördagsgodis is Saturday candy. It’s a tradition that somehow developed to limit kids’ sweet tooth and keep them from eating candy all day long. It is regulated as many other things in Sweden to a habit: eating candy only on Saturdays. Some families have replaced religion with this tradition, in the sense that it is a duty to go to the candy store and buy candy. Children expect their parents/guardians to give them candy. Some parents even let their kids choose the candy they want. Sweden is a country where everyone eats candy? My guess is that 99% of people do, and I’m the 1% who don’t.

Autumn is the time when house owners are busy taking care of their apple trees. Old apple trees are commonly found in Swedish houses. Different varieties of apples produce good or poor harvests depending on the year. Learning and experiencing the variety of apples is very interesting. Various textures and tastes, sweet, sour, hard, soft. My harvest traditions include apple picking, harvesting apples, making äppelmust or apple juice, and making apple cider. In my drying oven, I also make apple slices. Apple pies are, of course, the most popular dish. In addition, there are numerous types of apple pies. Apple pies are a must if you are ever in Sweden in autumn.

Not to mention äppelmos, which is apple jam. For a few weeks, I go apple crazy!

If you don’t live in Sweden but live near an Ikea store. Visit Ikea’s restaurant for apple pies and äppelmust, where you might find both.

A hiking trip in autumn

Hiking in Autumn is one of my favorite things to do, and I often go to national parks and nature reserves with trails. Fresh air, greenery, and the wetness of the forest make for a wonderful experience. The trails in Swedish national parks and nature reserves are clearly marked and easy to follow, making hiking easy. Wind shelters are provided by many parks, as well as fireplaces that provide chopped wood for campfires. Just go enjoy nature, it’s easy to access.

A mushroom-picking excursion

Many people enjoy this outdoor activity, while others despise it. It’s not uncommon for some people to spend their free time in the forests, forging mushrooms and pissing off their friends on social media. Some people ignore mushrooms and simply buy them in supermarkets or food stores.

Mushroom picking seems to be a Northern European tradition. When foreigners voluntarily go mushroom hunting in the Swedish woods, it seems as if assimilation has reached a peak. Having found mushrooms then comes the challenge of identifying them. The decision has to be made to pick and clean them. Only when you are home hours later can you cook and eat them. So much time is spent for so little actual nourishment. No, I’m sticking to apple picking.