Friday, October 03, 2008
I know. Sooooo...LAME!!!
With not much to blog about and very little time to spare today, I leave you with this...
When I think of Fall, I think not only of the changing colours of the leaves or the crisp fresh air. I think of APPLES!
We've got apples, apples and more apples around here. What to do with all those apples (besides eat them or let the deer eat them)? There's apple crisp, apple pie, apple tarts, apple jam, apple jelly, apple butter, apple cake...The list goes on! However, one of my favourite things to make with apples is apple sauce!
It's so easy to make! You can eat it right after you make it. You can eat it as a dessert or as an accompaniment to some of your dishes (for example, my aunt loves her pork chops with apple sauce). I'm a picky apple sauce eater. I don't like store-bought apple sauce because I like being in control of what goes into my food. I like knowing where it comes from and exactly what is in it. I also like my apple sauce super smooth (some people prefer it chunky) and I have to have my apple sauce cold (hey, some people like it warm)!
Here's my version of homemade apple sauce:
*First, go out and pick your apples! If you don't have an apple tree (or a few apple trees), you can get your apples at the local farmers' market or at your grocery store.
*Wash apples and take off the stems, leaves, spots. You can cut the apples in quarters if you like. I sometimes do depending on the size of the apples. The apples we had from our trees this year weren't too big though, so I didn't bother cutting them.
*In a large pot, put apples and add enough water just to cover them.
*Cook apples for a few minutes until soft but not mushy. Make sure the apples keep their form but are soft enough to put through the fruit press. (Uhhh...You know me, I don't really keep track of time and just go by instinct) I don't peel the apples because the pigmentation from the apple skins give the apple sauce a lovely pink hue (or if you have yellow apples, the apple sauce will turn out yellow or even almost a translucent white. It's really neat).
*Remember that handy dandy fruit press Hubby got for me?
If you have one, fantastic! If not, I suppose a strainer would work too. Have the fruit press stand over a large bowl. If you have a stand like mine, it fits perfectly just over a large bowl. Add a few of the cooked apples and press them through the strainer/colander. Repeat that process until you've used up all your apples. In between, you can discard any of the peels or remains that won't go through the press.
(I'm also thinking that later on when the baby is old enough to eat solids, I will be making a lot of baby food with the fruit press!)
*While still steaming hot, you can add some sugar and/or cinnamon if you wish. Make sure you mix the sugar in very well. My MIL adds a cup or so of sugar. My aunt adds Splenda. I don't like a lot of sugar in my food, so I even forgo the sugar all together (and I don't put cinnamon in my apple sauce). Whatever your taste, just use your own discretion with the sugar.
If you make huge batches of apple sauce you can easily store them in containers. I put mine in freezer-safe containers and when I need it, I take it out of the freezer in the morning and thaw it so it's ready for supper time.
Mary had a little lamb cat, little lamb cat...
I thought this was funny:
This is Fred (AKA: Mama Cat. Jeanna calls her one of the Weasleys though). When I went to get the mail in the morning, Fred walked to the mailbox with me. She's like a dog. She'll go for walks with me in the woods and around the farm or she'll go to the garden with me. She's a really funny cat-dog!
I've heard that sometimes pregnant women start "nesting" at some point in their pregnancy. I think this might be proof that the nesting has begun:
We've got two large freezers and the small freezer compartment that is above the fridge. Well, the other night (instead of sleeping!) I decided to clean out the freezers and reorganize them. All of the produce in the freezer is from our gardens. I think it's safe to say that we'll be fine for produce during the Winter months!
Hope you all have a great weekend! Hubby was saying "when it rains, it pours"! Sometimes we can go for weeks or months without having any friends or family visiting from out of town and then all of a sudden EVERYONE comes on the same week or weekend! We've got heaps of friends and family visiting us on the Island this weekend. I'm a very happy camper! Though I love having my own space and my personal "me" time, I also love being around people. I can't help it. That's just the way I am! I love entertaining, having dinner parties at our house, and spending time with and cooking for the people I love!
I guess I should add that I don't think our friends and family are here just to visit us! ;) It's fishing season! My uncle (who also happens to be my godfather) and my aunt have been here since Tuesday and my uncle and my dad have been catching salmon every day so far! Our friends from Ottawa heard that the salmon are now at the mouth of [insert name of body of water here] and that's why they're coming this afternoon and leaving on Sunday! Boys will be boys! :)
When I think of Fall, I think not only of the changing colours of the leaves or the crisp fresh air. I think of APPLES!
We've got apples, apples and more apples around here. What to do with all those apples (besides eat them or let the deer eat them)? There's apple crisp, apple pie, apple tarts, apple jam, apple jelly, apple butter, apple cake...The list goes on! However, one of my favourite things to make with apples is apple sauce!
It's so easy to make! You can eat it right after you make it. You can eat it as a dessert or as an accompaniment to some of your dishes (for example, my aunt loves her pork chops with apple sauce). I'm a picky apple sauce eater. I don't like store-bought apple sauce because I like being in control of what goes into my food. I like knowing where it comes from and exactly what is in it. I also like my apple sauce super smooth (some people prefer it chunky) and I have to have my apple sauce cold (hey, some people like it warm)!Here's my version of homemade apple sauce:
*First, go out and pick your apples! If you don't have an apple tree (or a few apple trees), you can get your apples at the local farmers' market or at your grocery store.
*Wash apples and take off the stems, leaves, spots. You can cut the apples in quarters if you like. I sometimes do depending on the size of the apples. The apples we had from our trees this year weren't too big though, so I didn't bother cutting them.
*In a large pot, put apples and add enough water just to cover them.
*Cook apples for a few minutes until soft but not mushy. Make sure the apples keep their form but are soft enough to put through the fruit press. (Uhhh...You know me, I don't really keep track of time and just go by instinct) I don't peel the apples because the pigmentation from the apple skins give the apple sauce a lovely pink hue (or if you have yellow apples, the apple sauce will turn out yellow or even almost a translucent white. It's really neat).
*Remember that handy dandy fruit press Hubby got for me?
If you have one, fantastic! If not, I suppose a strainer would work too. Have the fruit press stand over a large bowl. If you have a stand like mine, it fits perfectly just over a large bowl. Add a few of the cooked apples and press them through the strainer/colander. Repeat that process until you've used up all your apples. In between, you can discard any of the peels or remains that won't go through the press.(I'm also thinking that later on when the baby is old enough to eat solids, I will be making a lot of baby food with the fruit press!)
*While still steaming hot, you can add some sugar and/or cinnamon if you wish. Make sure you mix the sugar in very well. My MIL adds a cup or so of sugar. My aunt adds Splenda. I don't like a lot of sugar in my food, so I even forgo the sugar all together (and I don't put cinnamon in my apple sauce). Whatever your taste, just use your own discretion with the sugar.
If you make huge batches of apple sauce you can easily store them in containers. I put mine in freezer-safe containers and when I need it, I take it out of the freezer in the morning and thaw it so it's ready for supper time.
Mary had a little This is Fred (AKA: Mama Cat. Jeanna calls her one of the Weasleys though). When I went to get the mail in the morning, Fred walked to the mailbox with me. She's like a dog. She'll go for walks with me in the woods and around the farm or she'll go to the garden with me. She's a really funny cat-dog!
I've heard that sometimes pregnant women start "nesting" at some point in their pregnancy. I think this might be proof that the nesting has begun:
We've got two large freezers and the small freezer compartment that is above the fridge. Well, the other night (instead of sleeping!) I decided to clean out the freezers and reorganize them. All of the produce in the freezer is from our gardens. I think it's safe to say that we'll be fine for produce during the Winter months!Hope you all have a great weekend! Hubby was saying "when it rains, it pours"! Sometimes we can go for weeks or months without having any friends or family visiting from out of town and then all of a sudden EVERYONE comes on the same week or weekend! We've got heaps of friends and family visiting us on the Island this weekend. I'm a very happy camper! Though I love having my own space and my personal "me" time, I also love being around people. I can't help it. That's just the way I am! I love entertaining, having dinner parties at our house, and spending time with and cooking for the people I love!
I guess I should add that I don't think our friends and family are here just to visit us! ;) It's fishing season! My uncle (who also happens to be my godfather) and my aunt have been here since Tuesday and my uncle and my dad have been catching salmon every day so far! Our friends from Ottawa heard that the salmon are now at the mouth of [insert name of body of water here] and that's why they're coming this afternoon and leaving on Sunday! Boys will be boys! :)
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City girl moves to the country, falls in love, and marries a farmer. She tries to incorporate her city ways with her new country lifestyle and blogs to keep in touch with friends, family & students who live far, far away :) Can this city girl go country? Watch as she learns all sorts of exciting things about life on the farm and in a small rural community. *UPDATE* We are now parents! Our baby girl was born on Nov. 11, 2008 (at 28 weeks gestation- 12 weeks premature, but she's quite the trooper)!!!
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22 comments:
Wow! Fresh salmon...fresh applesauce...fresh produce galore! I want to come over for dinner at your house!
I love your post Chrissy - all the food in the freezer must be so satisfying. And as you say, you know exactly what is in it.
I froze lots of apples last Autumn and used them up over the winter - just great to have our own supply.
Sounds YUMMY! I like apple sauce with grilled porkchops. Yum!
Ooh, looks yummy. :)
Salmon jumping in the river? Neat-o, that would make a neat photo...Wish I could come over this weekend, or next week!
Maybe I'm slow... what's so lame?
I think that's totally awesome! I love the pink hue to your sauce from the skins! My friend's mom taught me how she makes apple sauce this year. She even brought apples down from Oregon with her, and we added apples from my friend's tree so it was a lot of tasting and mixing and tasting. We canned up 15 quarts of the yummy stuff and i got to take 2 home with me. My friend would always hoard her annual stash, but now I have some of my own.
I grew up with cats that would meet me about a block away from our house (on a dirt road) when I was walking home from school. Same cats always walked out to the mailbox with my mom. Sadly, my mom doesn't have any cats anymore (ok so she still feeds 2 strays), but now there are squirrels that greet her, because my dad feeds them peanuts so she takes a few with her as she treks out to the box. The boys I live with (the cat boys that is) follow us from room to room. They would much prefer being in the same room as us, then somewhere in the house alone. They are still very much independent cats, but have some dog-like traits.
Have fun with all of the visitors (uh.. the fishermen!)
Starshine:
I'm not much of a fish person (for some reason, I only eat salmon or tuna), but for the past few days we've been having LOTS of salmon! All cooked different ways, of course! :) The doc really wants me to try to eat fish at least 2x/week...calls it "brain food" for the baby!
I have been getting Omega3 from other sources of food too though.
P.S. Come on over for dinner any time! I'm soooooooo not kidding either!! ;)
Mrinz:
Thank you :) I sometimes think that my posts are getting a bit boring and lame. I've been starting to feel the "content" just fizzling away these days.
I'm going to have to check out your archives again. I do remember reading some apple posts of yours. I can't remember if you cook the apples first or stick them in the freezer as is?
Louann:
That's exactly how my aunt likes hers!!!
How are you and the bebe doing, btw? Any cravings? Food aversions? :)
Rosie:
I was going to ask you last night when I called if you and the kids wanted to come up to see the salmon! Have you ever been on the Island during the "salmon run"? It's when the salmon go upstream to spawn. It's quite spectacular...yet sad at the same time.
They journey all the way upstream to procreate, only to end up dying soon afterward :(
When they swim up the creek to "the falls", it's really something special to see. I just hate the "after" part. It always makes me so sad. Then again, such is the cycle of life I guess.
Cherry:
:) I thought this post was lame! I didn't have time to put any thought into a post and wasn't sure if anyone would even care about apple sauce, my crazy freezer organizing rampage or the cat that goes everywhere I go. LOL!
Great idea about mixing apples! We do that too! My MIL gives us some of her apples and we have different varieties on our property too. Mixing the apples gives a neat texture, flavour and colour to the apple sauce. I should have added that part in the post!
So, your two male cats get along well in the house? There's no competition for dominance with the two boys? I LOVE male cats. They're far more affectionate than females. Females seem to go on their own a lot and only want to be with you when THEY want to be with you. From past experience, the males are more cuddly and attention seeking. The only problem we had with our male was that he would pee on everything (even though he was fixed)!!!
That is a great collection of fruits and veggies in your freezer. So jealous of how organized you are! Mine are all mashed in the freezer with no rhyme or reason!
We had some apples on our tree this year, but hubby and neighbors ate them all! I think I only froze four packs. I do, as always, have tons of pears. I make a pretty mean pear sauce myself. I even splurged this year and bought a peeler/corer from the Pampered Chef. It made life so much easier!
You are soooo nesting!
Soon you'll have a little one slurping up that applesauce.
Thanks for stopping by momma in flip flops2 and entering. Please stop by again soon. =)
I'm a fan of apple butter! How do you make that???
My parents have a cat that looks just like her! And she is like a cat-dog too...she doesn't even use a litter box because she will paw at the door to let someone know she wants to go outside to do her thang! wierd!
Organizing! you are such a good little organizing! I am so impressed with your work on the produce. lol
Mary had a little lamb
She tied him to the heater
Every time he turned around
He burnt his little peter
I love fresh applesauce! What kinds of apples do you like best for it? I once had a farmer tell me that the best apples for applesauce are a variety, meaning several different kinds all together. I'm with you, I don't like sugar in my applesauce. Though if I'm eating it with pork chops, I do like cinnamon mixed in. :)
You guys sure eat well. Mmmm. Fish is so expensive at the store...nice to be able to get it for free, or practically free. Looks like Starshine and I will be packing up and coming for a visit! ;)
Oh, and now I just read the comments and see that you and Cherry both suggest a combo of apples, too. :)
I feel the opposite way you do about the salmon...this seems like the BEST time to kill them and eat them, because they're not long for the world anyway. ;) As long as we leave enough to get up there and make more. The one time I went salmon fishing, it was in Alaska, and they were crowding in from the ocean to the rivers, and the water was so thick with them that it looked like it was boiling! Just crazy.
Shannon:
Ooooooooh! I LOVE the Pampered Chef! Someone gave us a Pampered Chef pizza stone and a few other items for our wedding. We use the pizza stone every time we make pizza. It just cooks that crust to perfection! The Pampered Chef is pretty expensive, but it's nice to indulge a little sometimes! I spend a lot of time in the kitchen and I love my kitchen gadgets and tools! Better to have some good "quality" items than cheap stuff if you're going to be using them a lot anyway, right? Tee hee! Listen to me justify my kitchen gadget spending! :)
Don Mills Diva:
That is what my husband said! :)
Andrea:
I'll be checking your site again!
Deb:
Just for you, I'll post an apple butter recipe on the blog soon-ish! ;)
Cat-dogs are the cutest, aren't they?
Oh, as for the organizing...the freezers are the only things that look organized right now! LOL! I went on a freezer cleaning rampage one night. I guess I should tackle a few other areas soon!
Jimmy:
LOL! Ohhhh...you are too funny! Little lamb's peters, your "package" showcased on Jeanna's blog, AND male/mail crabs!!! I sense a theme here, Jimbo!!!
J:
Yes, the different combo of apples works best for apple sauce :) Luckily on our farm, we have several different types of apple trees and my MIL does too. We pretty much swap/share apples so we can make apple sauce and other things.
You know, I like the way you think! I never even thought about the salmon fishing that way. I always got really sad whenever I saw them swim upstream. It really signaled the end of a life to me. I know that the purpose of the salmon run is the procreate and that new life will come out of all their struggles upstream. It just seemed so sad to me though...to have to go through the struggle and journey and end up spent, mangled, exhausted, and left to die.
J, you really have a special way of looking at life. I really do like your perspective :)