I know the beginning of August is still smack in the middle of the summer season, but for some reason, to me, it always feels like the very edge of Autumn. I think it has something to do with the fact that, as the harvests start coming in, it becomes time to start freezing and canning in preparation for winter, and planting fall crops in the spaces that have been opening up in the garden. The days are already noticeably shorter, and the apples are starting to weigh down the branches of our old Duchess tree.
Thus, the Gardener has built an inexpensive little cider press and we've been experimenting with our windfall apples. We've collected a little more than a gallon of juice, and in the next few days we'll try making our first batch of hard cider.
This past week we've also received our first share of fruit from the North Star Orchard CSA. In our bag were Summer Blaze and Redfree apples, Red Haven and White Lady peaches, Vanette and Oullins plums, and Delight pears. Though we're really enjoying eating these fruits as they are (fresh, crisp, and juicy!), I've also been planning out how I'm going to can some of them for winter. For the most part, I think I'm going to keep my recipes pretty simple, to highlight the natural flavors of each variety of fruit, but I've also got plans for some more interesting spreads like honeyed yellow tomato butter, which I'm thinking will go well with our almost-done-aging farmhouse cheddar.
What else makes it feel like the start of Fall? 45 pounds of Desiree, Carola, and Yukon Gold potatoes harvested and stored away, that's what!
Posts
