Everything Apple

The weathermen are not endearing themselves to me this week.

After canceling our apple picking adventure last weekend due to the supposed rain, we decided to head out this past Tuesday, our last free day to go this month. The forecast read sunny, clear, with a high of 80 degrees. We woke up on Tuesday, excited, and started dressing, packing lunches, making plans. We opened the window to let in a breeze and, to our great surprise, saw the cloudiest dark sky letting loose sheets and sheets of...rain. RAIN! We ultimately decided that we were going to get our apples rain or shine, so after running several errands, we headed up to Charlottesville.

Thankfully Charlottesville did not experience any of the rain that Richmond felt, and we enjoyed a perfectly warm, dry, sunny afternoon in the apple orchards. We picked bags and bags of apples while Little Boy sat in a borrowed Radio Flyer wagon, his feet propped up on the fruits of our labor, crunching away on the only apple he picked the entire day. We bought cold apple cider and warm apple cider donuts, ate a leisurely lunch, and took in the beautiful view of the city from the top of Carter Mountain. I love fall!

For me, part of the fun in apple picking is not just pulling the apples from the tree but in using them once at home. We eat our fair share of fresh, crisp apples, but since we tend to go overboard in our picking (30lbs, anyone?) I also cook up grand plans to bake apple pies, can applesauce, make apple spice bread. Yum, yum, yum!

I made and canned 8 quarts of applesauce and 2 pints of apple butter last year, surprised at how easy the whole process is. And contrary to my belief, you do not need any special canning equipment.

Homemade Applesauce
8-10 apples
1/2 cup water
Cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, 1-2 tsp each (optional)

Peel, core, and slice the apples. In a crockpot, combine apples, water, and desired spices. If using extra juicy apples, decrease water by half. Cook on high for 2-3 hours. Blend with a hand mixer until sauce reaches desired consistency. (We love chunky!)

Canning Applesauce
Pour applesauce in to clean canning jars. Cover with lid seals and rings. Bring a large stock pot of water to a full boil. The pot needs to be large enough to cover the tops of the jars in 1-2 inches of boiling water. Once the water is at full boil, ease the covered jars in to the water using canning tongs or a large serving spoon. Boil small jars for 5-8 minutes and large jars for 8-10 minutes. Pull hot jars carefully out of the water and place on a cooling rack. As the jars cool, you will hear the seals pop, confirming that they have fully sealed and locked. Eat at your leisure throughout the year!

Taste of Fall

Fall is my favorite time of the year. Especially after a long, hot summer like this one. But fall is so much more than the anticipation of cooler weather. Fall is brightly colored leaves falling off the trees, windows open all day, long walks without breaking a sweat, afternoons at the park, apple picking, pumpkin pies, soups and stews for dinner, jackets and warm sweaters, my birthday, Thanksgiving, decorating for Christmas...I just can't wait!

These past two days we've had ridiculously cool weather for Virginia in August. Little Boy and I headed over to the park, and when the breeze blew through the playground and rustled those few leaves that fell early, I almost wished we had our jackets with us! For dinner, I just couldn't resist making our favorite sausage potato soup and pumpkin muffins, which we enjoyed sitting in the kitchen next to open windows. Oh, happy day!

I know that we most likely have several more warm (or hot) days ahead of us. I believe last year we were still wearing shorts some days in October. But for now I'm going to curl up on the couch next to an open window with a cup of hot tea and my book and enjoy this brief taste of fall.

Sausage & Potato Soup
2-3 Italian sausage links (sweet or spicy), removed from casing
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 carrots, sliced or chopped
2 cans chicken broth
2-3 potatoes, cubed
1 cup milk (2% or whole for best results)
2 cups baby spinach (or kale)
Italian cheese

Brown sausage in a stock pot. Add and saute onion, garlic, and carrots. Drain fat if necessary. Add chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Add potatoes and simmer until soft, 15-20 minutes. Mash potatoes in soup briefly with a potato masher. Add milk and spinach and simmer for 5-10 minutes until spinach has boiled down. Top individual bowls with cheese if desired. Best served with bread.