An Apple Or Two A Day...

The apple trees are bursting with fruit this year. Whether it was spring's late appearance or the hot, dry summer, the absence of tent caterpillars or some combination of these things, I don't know but it sure has made for a fabulous crop. We have several wild apple trees in the yard, most of which produce downright nasty apples. This year, however, we've discovered three winners. Two out the back are dripping with beautifully red, sour apples - definitely the kids' favourite. And up towards the road, is a small crop of sweet green fruit. They rate higher in Paul's book.

This morning as I packed up school lunches, I realized we were missing something. So, I put on my shoes, called Rosie and wandered out to the back trees to gather up snacks. Cameron especially, loves these little apples. Morning, noon and night, they're his food of choice. Can't go wrong with that.

They're not grocery-store perfect and that's just fine by me.

This Or That

A couple weeks ago I picked Nolan up from daycare, paid Julie for the week and off we went. We returned on Tuesday. While Nolie hung up his coat and the beautiful red Calgary Flames ballcap that adorns his sweet little head everyday (I'm so proud; Paul rolls his eyes; mwahahaha), Julie mentioned that I had paid 5 dollars too much. I tend not to remember what I had for lunch the day before, so the overpayment was long forgotten.

She offered, "You can either have your five dollars in a bill or cheese curds."

Well, gee, that's tough. Not sure if I took one second or mulled it over for as long as two seconds before declaring, "Cheese curds please!"

I continued on into work with my treasure. As I put the bag in the fridge I noticed the label read $5.66. Good golly. I owed Julie 66 cents. 

Yesterday, I paid up. "Julie," I said, "I owe you 66 cents. Do you want it in change or two freshly laid eggs?" Her reply came in the standard one to two seconds. Nolan handed her the eggs. Some would call this the informal economy. The folks I know, call it country living.

Cheese curds and still-warm eggs

Yesterday, on the way home from the Remembrance Day ceremony in Oshawa, brother Enos and I stopped at the orchard and picked up close to a bushel of apples. We had a good chat with the owner who, it turned out, had grown up in the 'Shwa and went to the same schools that we went to from grades 7 thru' 13. And, if that wasn't coincidence enough, her sister's first house after she married, was next-door to ours. Enos got that far-off look as he reminisced about the beautiful, red '69 soft-top Camaro that they had. And I got that far-off look as I thought about the bushel of apples that I was going to be turning into sauce. Which is today's job. So off I go. Enjoy the day all! It's a beauty out there.

The Cenotaph in Oshawa after the Service

A Windfall of Apples!

Our neighbours down the road have a kind of applefest each year, inviting family, friends, and neighbours to their backyard orchard...which is actually in front of their house by the horse pasture. They gave us a call yesterday and this morning, working around the rain, we went over.

I had seen the tip of the orchard before as I'd driven down their driveway but was astounded, as we walked through, at the number of trees they have. There has to be fifty or sixty trees pumping out gazillions of apples - delicious, macintosh and others. Why, if I was an applesauce maker, then...*gasp*...but wait! I am! It was applesauce heaven.

So, while the boys played with their three apple-retrieving dogs (great fun) and Ri hung out with their daughter, Paul and I filled our baskets. Careful not to confuse the road apples with the macintosh apples, we came away with over a half bushel of firm red fruit in no time flat.  Guess what next weekend's job will be.

Once finished, our host walked us around the farm, visiting the horse and donkeys, the hens and their rooster and showed us the new tree fort. The boys ditched the tour there and headed up the ladder. Next, we checked out their cider press and went inside for a taste. Mmm-mm-mm. Next on their list, is learning to make hard cider. May have to rename our road Copperhead.

Ooh, can't wait to get into the sauce.

First of May

On the first day of every month, we have a little tradition. First, you pinch and punch the person you're getting, and then you say with great exuberance, "Pinch and a punch, the first of the month, and no returns." The same applies for the last of the month, changing, of course, "first" for "last". Mum taught us that one when we were young'uns and I'd always figured it was a English thing, until my British cousin told me she'd never heard of it. So, I've no idea where it comes from. The kids love it, though.

This brings me to the first of May. Ready?

"First of May!
Pinch bum day."

Oh, come on. Don't tell me you don't do that too.

I'll leave you with a picture or two of my bloomin' apple trees.

I don't think I've ever seen this many blossoms on them

Let's hope we get lots of apples!

Back in the Sauce

This morning I had a call from a friend at work. She was planning to make pickles and had borrowed my canning stuff but, alas, she couldn't find cucumbers anywhere. She wanted to let me know that she had dropped my stuff off at work. She knew that I had plans for applesauce.

We ran out of sauce shortly after the rationing began in May. Paul picked up a half-bushel of b-grade Spartans from Allin's on the way home from work on Thursday. These are great apples - nice and sweet so no sugar added, and we end up with a lovely pink sauce. Not one to mess with a good thing, I used the ole standby instructions and my precious maslin pan. Have I mentioned that I love that maslin pan? Anyhoo, I put up 10 jars today. We're back in the sauce.

New Trees

Last year, I met a gentleman who knows everything there is to know about trees. Okay, he probably doesn't know everything, but compared to this novice's knowledge, he's a wealth of information. Andy was kind enough to have Paul and I over just before Christmas and give us a tour of his property. Unbelievable! I can't begin to tell you how many varieties of fruit and nut trees he has. He also provided info on his favourite Canadian farms and nurseries. Turns out he makes a trip to Montréal every spring and brings back trees and shrubs from his favourite supplier, Windmill Point Farm. He volunteered to bring back any trees we might like to order. I ordered today! (I get far too excited about fruit trees.) Here's what we'll be adding to the backward leonard landscape...

• Chums (2) - a cross between a cherry and a plum. Need two varieties for good pollination.
  
• Honeyberry (2) - edible honeysuckle. They are the first berry to ripen in these parts (at least two weeks before strawberries), are blueberry-like in flavour and are exceptionally hardy. Honeyberries don't like wet soil (note to self: don't plant near the bulrushes) and require two varieties for pollination.
• Saskatoons (2) - the fruit is small and purple and ripens in early summer. They are extremely winter-hardy and are self-fertile but do better in groups. I love how they're described on the OMAFRA site: "saskatoons are a mystery to most people from eastern Canada. Just mention this fruit in the company of a native of the prairies and their heart goes all a flutter..." What can I say? Whenever Dad gets talking about his childhood on the farm in Saskatchewan, he reminisces about the saskatoons. And I'm a sucker for pioneer talk.
• Purple Passion Apple (1) - a red fleshed apple. I'm sure there's lots more to say but I left my notes at work and can't come up with anything else off the top of my head.
  

*******

Ken, at Windmill Point Farm also let me know about a couple of workshops that he will be putting on in this area in April. Andy is going to let me know the details as they become available. I'd attach the workshop topics...how the heck do you attach a Word doc? Here, let's do it this way...


This is so exciting. If any of you backward people are interested, I can keep you posted on time and date.

~Liz

Dragon Boats, Apples and New Friends

I had the greatest night!

A little background first. My dear friend and neighbour, Darlene, is a member of Survivors Abreast, the Peterborough Breast Cancer Dragon Boat Team. Darlene and a few others took it upon themselves to put in a bid for the 2010 International Breast Cancer Dragon Boat Festival. They won. Hands down. Darlene has since drafted me to help out on the Committee and has already had me contacting teams internationally, gathering information and sending out the official invitation. It's a project that helps the committee but also makes me feel pretty darn good to be a part of. Tonight, at the Holiday Inn, was our first official meeting. There was excitement in the air - these women are so full of passion and life and I'm honestly humbled in their presence.

But that's not it. We were picked up by another friend of Darlene's who had contacted her about helping out. I had never met Andy before but have seen his name in the local paper. He ran for the Green Party in 2006 and worked with the Ministry of Natural Resources. And he knows a lot about trees. Apple trees. Pear trees. Cherry trees. Fig trees. Grapes. The list went on and on. And I was thrilled to be talking to him.

I told him about my apple sticks and he asked a few questions about them (wish I'd met him a few weeks ago). Then I told him about my wild apple trees and how desperate they are to be pruned. And then I admitted that I've neglected them because I don't have the confidence to do the job myself. He offered advice. He said he could come by later in the season and show us how to handle the job. He gave me his email address and phone number - I sent him a note the second I came in the door. :-) And he told me about a place in Montréal where he gets his apple trees (he has several different varieties!) and would be willing to help us order some in if we were so interested. I can't tell you how excited this made me!

We talked a little about the environment and oil. We talked about made in Canada and shipping our jobs overseas. He worries about what will happen in twenty years when oil reserves are so depleted and expensive that we can't afford to ship barges of goods across the ocean and there are no factories left in North America. Or skilled labour. He mentioned exploiting our water, the growing lack of knowledge on this continent about basic things like growing a potato. What are we going to do? And what will we be left with?

It was a wonderful night. On so many levels. I'm so glad you forced me to join in, Darlene.

~Liz

Wealthy

A few years ago, I picked up a couple of apple trees at a nursery in Peterborough - an Imperial Gala and some type of Mac I think. I didn't know anything about them and, in retrospect, should have researched them first but I figured that if they're selling them here, they must be fine for this zone and our conditions. Then again, what do I know. The Mac had apples the first year but there's been nothing since. The Imperial Gala has never bloomed. I think the Mac's problems are my fault - I planted it too low on a hill. I suspect the late spring chills settle in the gully and are probably killing any buds that may be forming. There are other apple trees growing wild nearby so there shouldn't be a problem with cross-pollination and the tree itself is healthy. I have no idea what's going on with the Gala - probably the wrong zone. But, these failures haven't dampened my desire to have backyard apples.

A year or so ago, I googled heirloom apples in Canada. Jackpot. I found a place near Uxbridge called Siloam Orchards. They have an unbelievable number of trees available, many - actually most - of which I've never heard of before. Dorito and I were in the area last year after a trip to Richter's Herbs and decided to find the place. We picked up some early apples - a variety called Uncle Cecil - played with that black lab of theirs and talked to them about trees. And that was that. Until now.

(You might want to sit down for this part - it's very exciting.)

Two weeks ago I ordered trees...apple trees...well, apple sticks really. Four foot tall apple sticks. Paul and Nolie picked them up last week. Only got lost once, I'm told. And what did we get? Well, the pickins' were slim this time of year but I did manage to get my hands on one each of a Baxter, Duchess, Golden Sweet, Richelieu, Wealthy and Yellow Transparent. Ever heard of them? Me neither but I'm smiling as I write this.

On Saturday, as the kids turned into superheroes and fought all those bad guys in the snow, we planted them - a good ten to twelve feet apart and on the crest of a hill. They're all considered very winter hardy and I've chosen what I hope is a good spot to help them along. We'll see. Hopefully those nasty east winds don't get them. Or the deer for that matter. And we wait. A year or two. And hope for blooms. And then some apples.

And, hey, if you're out this way in the springtime and you see a tall chick jumping up and down on the crest of the hill, with a grin as wide as the sea, you'll know the apple blossoms are out. And make sure you stop in. 'Cause I'd love to show you my apple trees.

~Liz


(Duchess apple picture courtesy of Apple Journal.com; apple sticks picture courtesy of me, out the back)

The Coveted Maslin Pan

It's probably been a good year and half since Dorito's maslin pan found its way here. Last summer Dorito, Ri, Cammy and I picked raspberries at Caza Berry Farms and then D & I came back here and made jam. The pan never went home. I used it for this year's jam sessions, the pickles and the kids' favourite, applesauce. Dorito wants it back. And who can blame her.

Last fall, D and I went to Lee Valley, but, alas, the maslin pan was no longer available. It was a sad moment. *sniff* I searched online, but could only find them in Europe. I've checked the Lee Valley site many times since then, have even emailed them, but no maslin pan.

Then, a couple of weeks ago, my favourite brother-in-law (read on and you'll surely see why) went to England to visit family. Before he left, Paul hit him up for a maslin pan. (hee hee - one of the reasons I love this man) It arrived last week! And what a beaut! So, what does one do when one receives a package from England in the mail? Make applesauce, of course.

Paul had picked up a bushel of Cortland apples from Allin's earlier in the week. They were only c-grade, perfect for sauce, but, other than the odd scar, were in beautiful shape. Out came the applesauce directions, and I set to work.

First, the apples were cut up and thrown into the new maslin pan. They simmered there until soft and then smushed through the food mill. Then back to the stove to simmer with cinnamon. Next, they were poured into sterilized jars and into the canner they went. Boil for 15 minutes and finally, 20 jars of homemade sauce. It's at this point where kids' hands have to be swatted to keep them away. :-) And, you know, there's nothing like the sound of lids popping. (Well, except maybe Nolie singing 'We Will Rock You' in his sleep.)

Oh. And one more thing. I checked the Lee Valley site and the stupid maslin pan is available again. But mine is nicer...no offense Dorito.

And to (silly uncle) Mark, my favourite b-i-l...THANK YOU! I'll save some sauce for the next time you guys are up this way. ;-)

Pop.

~Liz