Autumn has arrived!

Apples...


The weather has not cooled off yet, but Fall has definitely arrived. The flavors and scents of this season are my favorite of the year.  We have already had some mashed sweet potatoes and are getting ready to cook some squash.  We took a trip up to Oak Glen this past weekend to enjoy the apple-licious fun!   We were hoping to pick some apples ourselves.  Unfortunately,  due to the weird weather this year, the current batch of apples has already been harvested.  We had to settle for already picked apples, fresh cider, and fresh, hot cider donuts.  It was still a good time.

It was a little distressing to witness the many tourists who had no idea how food grows.   People were visibly upset when told that there were no apples to pick.   I assume they thought the apples are constantly growing and, like at the grocery store, are always available whenever you want them.   When we were in Oak Glen over the summer, we also saw people upset that there were no apples available to pick.   It is frightening to think that few people know that food has a growing season and that plants are impacted by factors such as weather.  I work with kids and it always amazes me that the concept of ingredients is foreign to many students.   To these students, food comes from the store or the restaurant.   Many have a hard time grasping that food does not magically appear at your car window.  I did appreciate that there were many families enjoying the apple season and showing their kids where apples grow.  Kudos to those parents!

We enjoyed learning about the wide variety of apples that are available from the apple stands that you do not find in the grocery stores.   We decided to try Mutsu apples for baking and preserving. Now I just need to decide on the recipes to use.  Any suggestions?


**Book Suggestion: We both have recently read (and watched the documentary) "The Botany of Desire" by Michael Pollan.   He delves into the history of the apple and the reasons for our limited selections.   And he discusses Tulipmania!   A must read.