the best time to go to your local apple orchard in maine is early in the season, when it first opens. not too many folks are there and if you are as lucky as we were, you will have the orchard all to yourselves as you take in its magic.
preserving food is a daily act in our household this September -- bounty from our vegetable and herb garden, our local farm share and local orchard. i filled jam jars with honey processed from a beekeeper in town and infused the ambrosial golden liquid with peppermint from our herb garden. soon i will be straining out the leaves in this medicinal herbal cold remedy -- the perfect balm in a hot cup of tea this winter.
40 pounds of paula reds! the outdoor turkey fryer comes in handy for making applesauce. we softened the apples in the big vat and made batches of creamy, smooth and sweet tarty tasting applesauce with our fruit and veg strainer. you would not believe the taste -- i will never buy store-bought applesauce again.
upright freezer came today -- thank goodness! the regular freezer was packed to the gills and not to be opened under any circumstance:)
there's more. i made apple butter and dried apple rings over the weekend. i like to mix the cinnamony sweet butter in plain greek-style yogurt -- yum. next on the list is to make batches of apple pie filling to freeze, for a nice warm apple pie in the depths of winter.
this is special -- apple brandy infusion which will be ready to drink on my 40th. birthday this month...
canned spicy peach salsa made with a variety of cherry tomatoes from our garden -- i serve it up with chopped fresh cilantro and diced hot red pepper. perfect for dipping healthy flax corn chips in...
and a little surprise view into our orchard experience -- my daughter skipping happily through the orchard with a red juicy apple in hand...
