Fresh apples are a fall pleasure to eat. On the home farm, we had a half dozen apple trees or so in a little orchard fenced off in the field across the road from the farmhouse. We had Whitney Crabs, Northwestern Greenings, Russets, Wealthy, and Duchess trees. I don’t remember that we ever sprayed them with anything—but I also remember my dad would say, “If you happen to come onto a worm when you are eating an apple, be happy that it’s not half a worm.”
Starting in September, we picked the apples and stored them in the cellar under the house, along with the potatoes, rutabagas, onions, carrots and everything else we had harvested from our garden.
My mother made apple sauce, canning it for our use in winter. She made crab apple pickles canning them also. And apple pies, fresh from the oven for Sunday dinners, and for Thanksgiving. Of course, we ate apples from right off the tree. Talk about fresh. I’ve never forgotten that crisp, tart flavor of an apple right off a tree.
Today, one of my favorite apple recipes is Apple Crisp. Here is my wife. Ruth’s recipe
APPLE CRISP
Place in a greased 8-inch pan:
4 sliced baking apples
Blend until crumbly; then spread over apples:
2/3 to 3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
½ cup sifted flour
½ cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup soft butter
Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes—until apples are tender and topping is golden brown.
Serves 6-8
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Remember the old saying: An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
November 18, 1:00 p.m. Kiel Public Library, Kiel, WI. “Wisconsin. CCC”
December 14, 9:30 to 2:00 McFarlane’s, Sauk City. Christmas on the Farm.
For those interested in purchasing my books (Christmas is coming). Get them from the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose—a fundraiser for them. Phone: 920-622-3835 for prices and ordering.
Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division Street
Wild Rose, WI 54984
barnard@wildroselibrary.
www.wildroselibrary.org
If you travel to the western part of the state, stop at Ruth’s home town, Westby and visit Dregne’s. They have a great selection of my books for sale or order a book by calling them at 1-877-634-4414.
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1 comment:
Jerry,
Your list of apples reminds me of some additional varieties my Dad had in his small orchard: Whitney and Hislop Crabs, Cortlands, McIntosh, Winesap, along with the awful Red Delicious and Yellow Delicious. He also had an orphan tree he thought was called Scot's Winters (sour enough to make a pig squeal he used to say). And then my favorite, the Snow apple. Haven't had one of those for years.
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