September Fires: Roast Chicken, Weddings, and What’s Ahead

September is a month of abundance, but also of turning inward. The air shifts, apples come into season, and fire cooking starts to feel less like summer spectacle and more like a hearth. For us at Heirloom Fire, it’s also a month that runs at full throttle — weddings, feasts, and long nights beside the flames.

Why September Weddings

People have always gravitated toward September for their weddings. The weather is cooperative — crisp but not cold, warm but not stifling. The landscape glows with late summer greens and the first hints of fall color. Harvest season brings tables heavy with produce, and there’s a sense of gathering in before the winter.

For us, it’s the busiest time of year. This September we’re crisscrossing upstate New York and Rhode Island, cooking for hundreds, creating those communal firelit tables that remind us why we do this work.

We were also honored to be featured as the cover story for Style Me Pretty with a wedding we cooked in beautiful Vermont last year. That event showcased not just the food but the whole atmosphere from design, photography, and storytelling all working together. It was a reminder that what we do goes beyond cooking; it’s about creating moments that feel timeless, captured in both memory and image.

A Simple Roast Chicken

When I think about food that feels like home, roast chicken is at the center of it. Here’s one way I prepare it - simple, honest, and timeless:

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken (about 4 lbs)

• 4 tbsp butter, softened

• Zest of 1 lemon

• 3 garlic cloves, crushed

• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

• Salt and cracked black pepper

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.

2. In a small bowl, mix the butter with lemon zest, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper.

3. Gently loosen the skin over the chicken breasts and rub the compound butter between skin and meat. Spread any remaining butter over the outside of the bird.

4. Roast at 450°F for 20 minutes. Lower heat to 375°F and continue cooking for about 50 minutes more, until juices run clear and an instant-read thermometer reads 165°F in the thigh (about 1 hour 10 minutes total).

5. Let the chicken rest 10 minutes before carving.

The skin comes out crisp, the meat juicy, the flavor bold. For variation, deglaze the roasting pan with white wine or stock and whisk in a pat of butter for a quick pan sauce. It’s the kind of meal that makes any night feel like a gathering.

Apples on the Fire

September also means apples and while cobblers, applesauce, and cider have their place, one of my favorite preparations is the simplest: cooking them directly on the fire. Split them, set them cut-side down over your outdoor grill, and let smoke and flame do the work.

The result is apples that are caramelized, smoky, and layered — far more complex than anything sweetened with sugar. They’re incredible on a charcuterie board with a perfectly tempered wheel of Brie or Camembert, the creaminess playing against the smoke. Sprinkle them with a few burnt, chopped almonds for a bitter, nutty crunch, and you have something both rustic and refined... a dish that feels like fall itself.

What’s New in Our Kitchen

We’ve recently started making our own cheese in-house — a project that’s been simmering for some time. Working with milk, cultures, and time feels like a natural extension of our ethos: respecting ingredients, creating something alive, and letting patience do the work.

Looking Ahead: Merch & Holidays

We’re also in the middle of developing new Heirloom Fire shirts and merchandise — a way to carry a piece of the fire with you. And as the year winds down, we’re preparing for the holidays. Expect subscription boxes from The Forager’s Pantry, special offerings, and the return of our Thanksgiving pre-orders. All designed to bring the same fire-driven spirit into your home.

Closing Thought

September is a month of fire and harvest, weddings and roasts, beginnings and preparations. For us, it’s the season that best captures what Heirloom Fire is about: abundance, ritual, and carrying the flame forward.