The Sweetest Applesauce!

We eagerly look forward to canning applesauce as soon as we turn the page of the calendar to the month of September.  Our main motivation for canning is so that we can have those wonderful tastes of summer and autumn deep into the winter.  We also want to save money by growing fruits and vegetables or by looking for the best value.

We have an old apple tree in our back yard that does not produce well, and the apples aren't so great for applesauce. So we do our legwork each year looking for the best tasting apples at the best price. It's fun, especially when we find it!  We strive to make the sweetest applesauce .... without adding sugar!

Apple Applause - Hosting an Apple Fest with Great Apple Treat Ideas

Autumn is apple picking time in Pennsylvania (Applause).  The local orchards sell bushels of apples in many varieties good for eating, baking, canning or freezing.  Tart and tasty.  Sweet and savory.  Some orchards let you pick your own for a reduced price. Pickyourown.org is a good source for checking the harvest calendar across the country.

Many of our towns hold AppleFests to applaud this wonderful season. Vendors fill the streets and parks with delicious tasting foods and beverages.  Artists and crafters of all kinds display and sell their unique creations. There are games and prizes, costumed performers, and horse-drawn wagon rides. Local farmers arrive with plenty of fresh apples, apple cider, nuts and fall produce for sale.

Mom's Old-Fashioned Apple Pie

I'm an old-fashioned gal, with an old-fashioned heart, an old-fashioned kitchen, and a desire to make the best old-fashioned pies ever.  I have many vivid memories and images of my Mom rolling out pastry on the flour-dusted kitchen table and pinching the edges to make a decorative crust.  Her pies were always so scrumptious! 

When I got married, my first few attempts at making pies didn't turn out very good.  So I asked my Mom to teach me. Mom gave me her recipe and her tips as she demonstrated her art.  I learned quickly, and from then on people raved about my pies, especially the flaky crusts.  Nowadays, it is so easy to use the refrigerator pie crusts that you can buy in a grocery store.  I guess they're OK in a pinch if you're in a major hurry.  But, truth be told, they are just not the same as old-fashioned, homemade pie crusts.  Unless time is of the utmost essence, there is really no need to forgo this timeless treasure--not when you have the right recipe and know-how.  So I gladly share with you lessons I learned at my Mom's side.

Flaunt it if you can

The 2012 Canning Season at Maple Grove has come to its close.  The past two months have been full of the sweet smells, fresh tastes, and inviting feels of farm-fresh fruits and vegetables. The work seems long, but the season is so short! 
These photos reflect the sights and colors of the late summer days of canning, and I say if you work this hard, if you aim to please, if you CAN, then go ahead and flaunt it!