So many things I want to share, things to discuss, and stories to debate. Unfortunately, that would take up a lot of my online time, and might be too much for even me to digest at once. True, I can be flaky, but now is not the time to allow that to become a common theme in my posts. I will take this week to go over things, taking on only one "deep" thought at a time, besides we have apples to talk about.
Bushels of apples everywhere, but I ain’t got time to spare!
I feel lovely, lovely . . .
Ha! La la lovely, oh-oh . . .
Oops, guess my age is showing. If you didn't recognize the slightly altered lyrics above, it was Lovely by Suicidal Tendencies. And it has been my theme song over the past week. I am in a sarcastic mood, and will try my best not to allow that to affect the feeling of today's post. Even if I normally have some sarcasm in my entries, I promise not to go over board with it.
Onto the apples;
33 lbs. down!
I was unable to process the entire bushel as I had planned. Without the cider press, it became a challenge that I was forced to declare defeat on. Though I quit under duress. My husband pulled me aside, and informed me that I could stop at any time. "Look at your hands." I did, and I saw the overwrought fingers. I could barely squeeze the cheese cloth any longer. I didn’t want to give up. But I wasn't, not really. Taking a break has to be a better way to describe it. There was no reason I had to juice an entire bushel at once. I can do it a quart at a time. I realized I had become obsessed with finishing this apple preservation task, not by one apple at a time, but by one bushel at a time. I had to step back, see the solitary apple and what I could accomplish with just the one, not the entire bushel. I cannot allow things to get out of hand.
Unless you have minions, do not get in over your head with anything. The pleasure of picking apples, and the ideas of what could be done with them drove us into gluttony, maybe greed. {No, not greed, doesn't feel like greed}
22 lbs. of apples got me 5 quarts of pure, unadulterated apple juice. I chose to freeze it instead of canning, just to make things a little simpler on me. {when freezing, make sure you leave some room for the item to expand. If you neglect to do this, the lids will pop off, or your glass jars will break.}
Apple trivia to amaze {annoy} your friends with; In ancient Greece, tossing an apple to a girl was a traditional proposal of marriage; catching it was acceptance.
I will make another entry later for the Holiday Cooking Blogger Style post. And no, I have not forgotten about the sweet potatoes, that needs a post to its self. I will talk all about them, and a wonderful recipe I made over the weekend using butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and apples.
{my timestamp seems to be off}
6 comments:
Tossing an apple at a girl was a marriage proposal? Doesn't sound very romantic....
I'm glad to see you did take a bit of a break...
So how long do you think it will take to fill your new freezer?
give me a week, and I'll have it filled.
Heavy metal and homesteading. It is an oxymoron! :) I guess I have no room to talk my husband sings opera!
Sorry you are feeling overwhelmed. Take a break! We'll miss you, but totaly understand!
Have you dried any apples? I am thinking about it. sounds pretty easy!
yes yes, I have been told. Friends find it too funny when they find me sitting on the floor, doing something "country" and listening to heavy metal. I also listen to opera.
I have taken a small break from the apples. And do have plans on drying them. I thought some cinamon aplle chips and some for baking later. But right now I think I want some cookies.
Bring on those butternut squash recipes! :-)
Are you still looking for apple recipes without cinnamon? Here's mine:
Winter Squash and Apple Soup by annulla (Brooklyn, New York, USA)
"I don't cook very often, but when I get in the mood - especially on a snowy winter day - this soup is one of my favorites. Simple, easy and it makes the whole place smell wonderful."
2 cups butternut or buttercup squash, peeled, seeded & chopped
2 cups sweet potato, peeled & chopped
3 medium cooking apples, peeled, cored & chopped (Spartan, Macintosh or similar)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups water or just enough to cover apples and veggies
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon Chinese 5 spice or pumpkin pie spice
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Bring the vegetables, apples and water to a boil in a saucepan on high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer 30 minutes, or until all the vegetables are tender. Add the seasonings and use a blender to process the mixture. Heat in the saucepan again on low heat until hot. Keeps 3 - 5 days refrigerated. Serves 6.
Notes: "Winter squash" is used to denote a hard-shelled varieties that be stored for months; it is distinct from summer squash such as zucchini. Of course, these days, both types are available year-round. Pumpkin pie spice is a mixture of cinnamon, cloves, ginger, allspice and nutmeg.
http://www.texaswren.com/soups.htm
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