Apples

One of the many blessings of living near Bob's parents is the apples they share with us. They have three trees - all of which produce tons of apples. Since I bake a lot of things with applesauce (okay maybe only a few things, but all the time) this is great! We've been able to pick way more apples than I would have ever thought about picking up somewhere else. And I've enjoyed making the applesauce as well as apple butter.

Since half my kitchen is filled with apples, I'll not only make more applesauce and apple butter, but I think we'll try making apple fruit leather - if we really like it, we'll probably make more.

In addition to the apples, I have pumpkins to process and we have beats to pull up and then process. So though we left behind our own garden and we don't have nearly the variety of foods to "put away" this year, we certainly have our work before us. And we're happy and excited about it - maybe not so much about the work ahead, but about having the food stored and ready for winter use!

Oh... and did I mention we're suppose to be getting a storm... I almost have to laugh because back in Maine a storm meant snow (or severe thunder and lighting). Because of our location, we're not likely to get snow (though the mountains should see plenty of it). We are, however, suppose to get 2-6 inches of rain (which might not sound like much, but for here, that's a lot). I understand because of how fast the rain will come that things around here might be a bit scary out there - especially when you add the 40-65 mph winds we're suppose to get (better than the 125 mph projected for the mountains).

Anyway, this is our first "storm" since we've moved - so this should be interesting. It's suppose to be chilly, but that's okay... we'll be processing apples and drinking hot cocoa - I think we'll stay fairly warm.... I hope!