Applebutter

In the fall when all the great apples are ready I make applesauce and applebutter. When I was young I'd make soup pots full of applebutter, a beautiful sweet condiment to spread on toast and bread. The sugar in the apples and the brown sugar I added cooked and cooked until smooth and thick. We adored it--we being my first husband and I. I peeled the apples, usually wild that we found on land where we rode the motorcycle. Wild apples were tart and worm ridden, but we cut away anything bad and then cooked it all in a big pot. The house filled with fine smells of cinnamon and sweet sugar. And the tart apple smell, sort of roselike in ways. At the end of the day when it was done, we turned it through the food mill, removing cores and peel and stems and then the thick butter went into jars. We poured paraffin on top to seal them up and set them on the shelf.

Later I learned a simpler way to make apple butter. Peel and core the apples and put them in a baking dish in the oven. Of course the sugar and cinnamon are mixed in and the heat is low so it cooks slowly. Every so often the mess of butter is stirred. Not so romantic, but after a few hours, one has nice thick apple butter—just as good, I believe.

If you have orchards and store your apples in a cool place, you may be having some varities that are getting soft. These are the ones to cook. For more apple recipes see Apple Recipes

Peace, Flower

Wind & Full Moon

Here it is, the turn in weather we've been expecting. Wind and leaves falling and cold. In Spokane, my home town, there hasn't been a frost yet. Here, yest we've already had one. We went to the pumpkin patch on Saturday and brought home some nice gourds and pumpkins and apples and drank some hot apple cider and feed the goats. It was completely fun and sunny and happy. Now we're faced with low light and stormy weather--everything equally balanced.

The full moon is on Tuesday, Aries/Libra 22 degrees. It's a time to remember how we own our assertiveness, and how we then can give it to others in a way that is fair to both of us. This moon is also accompanied by a Mercury direct--which is good, things have been righting themselves during the retrograde. A good thing I guess, although scary when it comes to how many us have planned our financial futures.

Well, not much time this a.m. as the grandbaby is coming today. I bought a fall doughnut for us to share, what was I thinking all that sugary icing. But hey, what's life for but some fun. We are eating our vegetables like crazy right, a little dessert now and them is harmless.
Ciao, Flower

Apples

My first husband loved old apple orchards and would take me on the back of his Bridgestone motorcycle and we'd wander through farmland on old dirt roads and find the gnarled old trees laden with apples, apples dangling over the road or already fallen in the ditch. Frequently we'd come home with bags of apples and cook them up into sauce. Delicious, tart and flavored with cinnamon. Or I'd make apple butter, cooking the apples down for a long time then putting them through a fruit sieve. Yesterday I gathered some Gravenstein in my friend's backyard. They cooked into a lovely sauce that didn't need any sugar.

When I was a kid, canned fruits and pickles were thought of as an awesome thing. They had a special place on our shelves—being of real value and respect. When food was put by, it wasn't some little kitchen project, it was the real deal, this was the food for the winter. Canned fruits and pressure canned meats, dried meats and fruits, pickled and salted items. See Putting Food By for more recipes.

If you have an abundance of apples, you could try making apple butter. The easy way is to peel and core apples and chunk them up in a baking dish. Add the cinnamon and sugar, not too sweet, and bake (350)until it cooks down thickly. You can stir several times during the cooking process. You'll be able to tell when it is a nice spreadable consistency.

Last night I attended an Equinox event. We celebrated with a great meal of chicken and vegetables and a dish of baked mushrooms and pecans and orange slices. It really is fall, colder, darker, and I have a little cold. Yes, almost on Q, the cold came with the cooler weather. Perhaps there is an apple remedy for colds, there is a honey and lemon one, I know that, and tea, of course, always lots of tea. And for the heart, seeing things in a new way. A new perspective is appropriate at this time. Well, that's what turning points are for.

At both Equinoxes and Solstices, we can set new intentions for what we want in our lives. I want to be happy running my own life. And of course I want my heart to heal. And I want my garden to flourish. Also a metaphor. Enjoy the abundance of fall and keep at that garden. It's good for you and for the earth. What are you intentions?

Peace,
Flower