Apple-palooza

I guess I’m sorta turning into one of those moms. Kinda hippy-dippy not buying that processed junk home made treats and snacks kinda gal.
Hopefully they won’t give me some sort of crazy nick name like patchouli or granola, Ha!

So we headed to the apple orchard with one of my best sister-friends and picked a bit over a half bushel. After we got back on the wagon and started back to the front I saw all the other trees bursting with fruit. I just wanted yell “STOP!” to jump off and grab some more. I think if I were without my husband, kids and friends I probably would have dumped my northern spies in the car, grabbed another bag and head out on that wagon again.
Sigh…. A girl can dream. Orrrrr, a girl can possibly plan another trip, he he.

Ahem (clears throat)
Anyway, so as I process through most of the apples we picked. Yes, we did actually eat some of them. I did not cook them all but I have been doing a bunch of newer things since we got a dehydrator for our big 10 year anniversary.
Traditional apple sauce is always on the list. Pie, butter are standards as well.

A little sauce and pie filling

Apple Crinkle with fresh whipped cream

Dried apple snacks and fruit leather

I’m still going to make more sauce for the canning pantry. If I’m lucky some of it will make it to winter. The kids have been eating it like crazy AND taking it in their lunches. I also need more apple butter since I have only one jar left from last year. More fruit snacks, a jam recipe, apple cake…. Oh and I haven’t made a strudel yet. Caramel apples, muffins, mini loafs.
Ya, I think I’m going to need more apples. Definitely more apples.

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Vitamin C

Did you know that a bag of organic oranges makes about 32ozs of fresh squeezed juice for about $4 and has no added preservatives or fussy fingers and factory folks touching yer stuff. 🙂

Sigh….. Goodbye summer, I’ll miss you.

The air has gotten chillier and leaves are beginning to turn.

The last sighting of my favorite hummingbirds was 4 days ago. If I don’t see another I will know summer is truly gone.

I pulled out my electric blanket and actually had to plug it in and turn it on. Can you believe? Oh, the horror!

The inner farmer/gardener has come out as I’ve begun the process of saving seeds and already started my plans for next years garden.
The current garden still has a few last fruits to bear. The Zucchini plant is trying to grow 2 more, I’ve got one full butternut squash just about done and 2 little guys trying to catch up.
The cucumbers are a plenty but have much growing to do. The tomatoes are in the same shape. I’m not sure if they are going to make it with these cooler temps. The nights have been too cold and the days not sunny enough.

That crazy farmers almanac and all the weather folk say this winter is going to be just as bad if not worse than last. My head has been spinning. I’ve started to write lists of things I need to bake and can to prepare to be stuck at home. Lists of things to buy so that I won’t need to brave the frigid cold. This now sounds almost normal. Stocking up the harvest getting ready for the winter.

I think I need a bigger pantry.

Grapes

If you and your kids love grapes here’s an easy fun summer treat.
Frozen grapes.
That’s it.
Just buy some wonderful sweet grapes. Red, black, green doesn’t matter.
Wash and pull off the stem, place in some sort of Tupperware type container and pop them in the freezer.
Viola! Next day you have little mini grape Popsicles.
No melting mess, super portable, yummy sweet goodness.

Star date, vacation day 3 torrential downpours

When the going gets tough, the tough go into the plunge pool on the veranda!
78 degrees and raining outside 63 degrees chilly in the plunge pool. The kids didn’t care. And we are on vacation so neither did we.
They had fun for an hour and then took a warm bath.

Now they are watching a rental movie from the concierges desk and I made applesauce.
Yup that’s right, we went into town yesterday and I figured some fresh applesauce would be good since I have the time and all.

I didn’t have my normal hand blender but their oster worked just fine.

We may actually go take a walk in the rain later but are still praying for sun.

Blueberry picking

I had been trying to get out to pick some fruit for weeks. Summer had been so busy that I totally missed strawberry and cherry season. But as luck would have it my BFF Jen was in town with her kids and a captive audience as they were staying at our house 😉

So we headed out to a place called Blueberry Lane Farms. Awesome place and highly recommend. They have a kitchen that will make fresh blueberry pancakes for you to fill your belly before (or after) picking.

So we had ourselves a pancake lunch and headed out to the fields.

I picked as fast as I could in hopes the kids would last. It held their attention long enough for us to get a combined almost 5lbs. Not a huge stockpile but enough for a few large snacks a handful of jars of jam.

All in all we had alot of fun. There is a playground for the kids and we found out that the honey the sell in their shop is from a local farmer who lends his bees to pollinate the blueberry bushes. Team Work!! I love it.

My first (tomato) garden

This is the first year for our garden.

I planted a bit late but that didn’t stop nature from giving up the goods! 🙂

We managed to yield almost 100 tomatoes from seeds that I dried last fall from store-bought organic tomatoes. Not too shabby for novice farmers.