Apple Country

Things have quieted down here in apple country.

The apple picking season has come to an end.

The lines of cars rolling in on weekend mornings are no longer here.

The crowds of visiting apple pickers, that add a bit of

temporary caos during apple season,

are done picking.

So when I went for a walk

(with permission) on the beautiful hills of

Bolton Spring Farm, I was completely alone.

The walk was very quiet and meditative,

the air was filled with a sweet aroma.

An aroma of apples past its prime that intensified

each time I accidentally stepped on one.

It's a strange, deserted feeling walking alone in the orchard.

Like the feeling you get when you go to the beach on a winter day.

It's the contrast between the noisy and lively, and the quiet, almost sleepy,

that appear so vividly.

I found the quiet and deserted orchard so beautiful,

and the view from the top of the hill was amazing.

I had such a nice, quiet and reflective walk.

Although the PYO* has ended,

there is still plenty for sale at Bolton Spring's farm store.

* PYO = pick your own. Americans looove time saving abbreviations.

Last night I decided to use up some apples by roasting them.

I made paninis with local Nashoba Brooks Bakery's 7 Grain Bread.

I layered roasted apples, brie, walnuts and a little honey

between the slices of bread.

-Yum!

I served the paninis with French onion soup, made with local beer instead of wine.

It tasted very fall:y.

Before I sign out, I also wanted to show,

especially to the locals, what I found

right next to Bolton Spring Farm.

A 1.2 mile path that leads to a lime quarry.

I can't believe that I have driven past this sign for 10 years without noticing it.

That is now on my list of things we can do on a weekend with our family.

I wonder what the quarry looks like...

Last, but not least...

A picture of our puppy Sanders.

As most of you guessed, he is a Boston Terrier.

Right now, our household is upside down

while we are trying to figure out how not to let this little life,

run our lives.

Apple cider the old fashion way

We're back at Cloverleaf Farm on a warm and sunny Friday afternoon.

Invited to make apple cider from scratch, in a vintage apple grinder and cider press.

I thank my lucky star to have neighbors like these.

30 pounds of local apples, a mixture of Macintosh, Empire and Cortland, were in the process of being ground as we get there. The steel teeth of the grinder, were digging into the apples, reducing them to small bits, and releasing a familiar and wonderful apple scent into the air. The last of the season's yellow-jackets were buzzing around, seemingly intoxicated by the sweet aroma.

The children got a turn at grinding the apples, but quickly realized it was hard and time-consuming work. They disappeared to play elsewhere, but kept checking in frequently, making sure they weren't missing out on the cider producing moment.

Finally, all the apples had been ground and were to be put in the press in batches. The press was lined with double cheese cloth to strain the cider and to catch seeds and any lost yellow-jacket that might have made its way into the apple grinds.

My son got to put the wooden lid on and then the children started turning the press.

And there it was, slow at first, then at a steady stream... the apple cider. You would have thought it was liquid gold the way the children all were trying to get at it to taste.

I think it was a great moment for everyone, and a very delicious one too.

Many thanks to my dear friends at Cloverleaf Farm!

Here is one of my favorite apple cider recipes. It is from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine and is called Apple-braised turkey thighs. When I make it, the apples never stay in pieces, but sort of melts in to the sauce which I don't mind at all. The turkey meat itself becomes wonderfully tender and falls of the bone. I love, love, love this dish.

Peach blossoms on Shelburne Farm

One of the things I like about living in the small town that I do, is all the farms and orchards we have so close at our hands. Our children are growing up with several friends that live on farms, and my two boys are so lucky to get to run around with their friends, picking apples, strawberries, tasting peaches and petting sheep, horses, bunnies and chasing chickens.

My youngest son has a good friend who lives on Shelburne Farm, the oldest pick-your-own apple orchard in eastern Massachusetts. I visited today after the owner had sent me an e-mail saying that the peach trees were in bloom. Thank you!

Shelburne Farm's chocolate lab ran ahead of me through the apple orchard and led the way to the peach trees. So funny, as if she knew where I was going. As I approached the peach trees, there was an amazing buzzing sound from hundreds of bees flying from flower to flower. So quick, and so busy, as if they had to visit every flower before the sun sets.

Near leafless trees, covered in thousands of delicate pink little blooms. It's quite the sight for the eye. I can't seem to capture with the camera exactly what I experienced. Peach blossoms, on its own or en masse, either way they are so beautiful.

The trees will bear fruit ready to eat around August, which seems like an eternity from now. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate and hopefully no damaging frost nights will threaten this years crop. Because I'm planning to sit on this bench below with my sons eating the first peaches of the season.