Fall, one of the four seasons of the year in Stardew Valley, provides you with many of the things we already love about the season. The color palette of the cozy game shifts to shades of soft brown and warm orange; red leaves drift down from the trees.
Fall has plenty of unique opportunities for you to seize, from making money to romancing villagers. Here are things to do to make the most of the season.
11 Catch Salmon
Many fish in Stardew Valley are seasonal, meaning you can only catch them during certain seasons. You can catch salmon in the fall by fishing in the river.
Like any fish, salmon can be used to make fertilizer, maki roll, and sashimi, but salmon is also used to make Salmon Dinner, a recipe from Gus sent via mail. Both the Salmon and Salmon Dinner can also be used in sewing and dyeing as well.
10 Catch A Legendary Fish
Like the Salmon, the Angler Fish can only be caught in the fall. Unlike salmon, the Angler is a legendary fish, and can only be caught once per save file. The fish can be caught in the river, to the north of Joja Mart.
Though legendary, the Angler Fish is not all that popular with the townsfolk — none of them appreciate receiving the Angler Fish as a gift from you. Pierre, Evelyn, and Haley hate all fish, and the Angler is no exception.
9 Gain Hearts For Birthdays
Checking the calendar outside of Pierre’s shop can help you plan for the season. In the fall, the calendar displays the two events of the fall season, the Stardew Valley Fair and the Spirit’s Eve Festival, as well as the birthdays of the townsfolk that occur in the fall.
Of the marryable characters, Penny, Elliott, and Abigail have birthdays in the fall. Gifts given on their birthdays will have 8x the effect that the would on a normal day, making it the perfect opportunity to earn the favor of your sweetheart.
8 Farm
The fall is a bountiful time for farming in Stardew Valley. Take advantage of the season and plant as much as you can. If you’re a fan of foraging, you can use the blackberry, common mushroom, hazelnut, and wild plum to make Wild Seeds.
Blackberry season is Fall 8 – 11, meaning you have a very limited window to forage them. But by crafting the Wild Seeds, you can harvest blackberries throughout the fall.
7 Stock Up For Winter
Once winter hits, all of your crops from fall will die! If you don’t have a greenhouse, farming is quite a challenge during winter; only Winter Seeds and Fiber Seeds will grow outside. So, any crops you need during winter have to be purchased or stored from your fall harvest. Plan your crops in the fall accordingly, so you have time to grow and harvest everything you need for winter.
Your farm animals also need to eat during the winter; grow wheat and grass during the fall to collect as hay for them. It’s also a good time to build a silo. A silo can store up to 240 pieces of hay, and can be purchased from Robin’s carpenter shop. Hay in the silo can be accessed through the hay hoppers in coops and barns.
6 Show Off Your Grange Display
At the Stardew Valley Fair, you have the opportunity to display up to nine items for the townsfolk and tourists to admire. The fair has many fun attractions at which you can play and win star tokens. You will also be awarded star tokens for your grange display. Both Pierre and Marnie have displays as well.
After confirming with Mayor Lewis, your display will be judged and your reward will be granted. If you’re looking to stir up trouble, place Mayor Lewis’ purple shorts in your grange display. Don’t forget to collect your times after judging, too. They won’t automatically return to you!
5 Find Baba Yaga’s House
In addition to the golden pumpkin, the maze at the Spirits’ Eve festival holds another fun discovery. In the maze you can find the house of Baba Yaga, a witch from Slavic folklore, who rides on a flying mortar and wields a pestle.
Follow the trail of disembodied hands – another reference to folklore: the Russian story of Vasilisa the Beautiful, wherein she entreats Baba Yaga for light to bring back to her home, and you’ll find her house standing on chicken legs, as the myth describes.
4 Make Life Elixir
Life Elixir is an edible crafted item that restores the player to full health.The ingredients include chanterelle, morel, purple mushroom, and red mushroom, all of which have a chance of being foraged in the fall.
The recipe for Life Elixir is given to you after your combat skill reaches level 2. Bring the life elixir with you down to the mines and the skull cavern to restore your energy and health, so you can keep fighting monsters.
3 Make A Jack-O-Lantern
Go to Pierre’s booth during the Sprit’s Eve festival to buy some spooky decorations. You can buy one of the eight rarecrows from the booth during this festival, as well as a rug, gravestone, and Jack-O-Lantern. You can also purchase the recipe for the Jack-O-Lantern from the booth and gain the ability to craft your own.
Jack-O-Lanterns can be held or placed anywhere to provide light, though they are more aesthetically pleasing than useful; the Jack-O-Lantern actually provides less light than a regular torch.
2 Collect Apples
After reaching maturity, apple trees produce one fruit each day in the fall. Harvested apples have many uses and are universally liked by all residents of Stardew Valley, making them a great gift.
Apples can be turned into artisan goods as well; using a preserves jar and a keg, you can make apple jelly and apple wine, but (surprisingly) cider and apple juice cannot be made in Stardew Valley. With cranberries and sugar, apples can be used to cook cranberry candy.
1 Feast With The Cranberry
Though Thanksgiving is not a holiday celebrated in Stardew Valley, a few feast-favorite foods can be made during the fall thanks to the cranberry. Cranberries can be grown from cranberry seeds and, once mature, will produce fruit every five days.
The cranberry is an ingredient used to cook cranberry sauce and stuffing, two staples of the Thanksgiving table. Harvest cranberries to make these treats for yourself, or to share with other villagers during the Fall.
