Autumn is one of the times of year when I am so grateful to live where I do. The Fall here is just so beautiful - the trees, bushes, etc., all come alive with amazing colors, creating an absolutely breathtaking landscape to look at everywhere you go.
In the DeGaetano family, it's a tradition to go out to Beak and Skiff Apple Farm to pick Empire apples (they are the best!). It's perfect, because it's always right around the time when the Fall colors are in full force. The drive out to the farm shows off all the rolling hills in central New York, and left us all ooing and ahhhing at the beauty all around us - bright oranges, reds, pinks, greens and yellows...oh, how I LOVE the fall in New York!
We took the ceremonial tractor ride out to the picking spot...
...and Maria went straight to work!
Josephine, oh Josephine, what a face. She is always making the strangest faces at us!
Josephine kept taking the apples and chucking them in the bag as hard as she could, like she was slam-dunking them or something, so we had to show her how to place the apples gently in the bag.
Lou helped out by getting the ones that were WAY up high! Go, Daddy!After picking an insane amount of apples (15 pounds, to be exact), we went to the snack shop and got some maple candy (can you say "yum"?) and some apple cider donuts (again - "yum!!").
And now...what to do with all these apples...any ideas?
7 comments:
Enough with the Beak and Skiff and the empire apples! I am seething with jealousy.... That is one of the things I miss most about Syracuse--the autumn trips to Beak and Skiff and the empire apples and the apple cider donuts. I'd sell one of my kidneys to eat one of those donuts right now. And before we left Syracuse I ate an empire everday for like two months, just knowing I was saying goodbye to the world's greatest apple. Sigh.
Anyway, enough of my sad story. Try this with the apples: cut an apple into chunks (with the beautiful peel on) and put them into a saucepan. Add water until apples are just covered, then boil the apples until they're tender. Remove from heat, then add a bit of sugar (to taste) and (this is the secret ingredient) a bit of mild curry powder. Drain off a little of the water, then process in a blender (not too much; you'll want it a bit chunky). Taste it and adjust spices as necessary, then add in about a half a can of pineapple chunks. Blend that a few times (still chunky!), and voila! You'll have yourself a delicious batch of warm curried pineapple-applesauce, which is PERFECT with pork roast or pork chops...any kind of pork, really.
We actually just had this for dinner last night (with a macintosh from our backyard tree) and it was di-vine. Plese post a picture when you've cooked this dinner. :)
i second rachel on the jealousy and the recipe. pork chops and apples are great. since i called you today, if you would like to know a couple of more recipes, you can call me and then you can have them. until then, they are held hostage. btw, thanks for all the comments, it makes me want to keep on blogging. sometimes i think i sound like a dork, but atleast you read and laugh. sigh, i miss you robyn, my bosom buddy!
i wish we could go apple picking! my kids ask about it all the time.
I demand that I never have to see a picture of the wonderful memories of Syracuse, that means not apple picking, no pumpkin patch, no thousand island, no leaves in the fall, no Palmyra, no Hill Cumorah, no beautiful upstate New York ever again! This makes me miss us miss Syracuse sooo bad! What we would give to be there right now to take a trip with you to Ol' Beak and Skiff! It sure looks like fun! We miss YOU!!!!!!!
oh my goodness, I had to hold back the tears when I saw your posts....I miss syracuse and the beautiful colors and the fall and the apple picking and the pumpkin farms sooo much! Heck, I miss the changing of the seasons...everything is so bland here in arizona...my heart aches for beautiful New York......sigh......
Ah apple picking. Is there anything more wholesome to do than apple picking? I love looking at your pictures and remembering...
I will join right in and say how much I miss Syracuse in the Fall time. Virginia is beautiful in the Fall but it just isn't the same. I too miss the apple picking at Beak and Skiff, pumpkin picking, hayrides, etc... Some of my greatest memories of Syracuse came during those wonderful colorful months.
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