"Getting rid of everything that doesn’t matter allows you to remember who you are. Simplicity doesn’t change who you are, it brings you back to who you are."

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Apple Tasting

We went to the Farmers Market yesterday.  We hadn't been all year but SM suggested we go to shop for apples since they're in season right now and SM has eaten the last of my applesauce stash with his morning oatmeal.

I put up 30 quarts of applesauce last year and it was the perfect amount for a years worth of eating.

We're pretty picky about our apples so we usually make a day of it and drive into Hendersonville which is in the heart of apple country here in NC.  The FM can be hit or miss with apples.  You've got to be careful or you'll get less than good quality.

SM has a gasoline ass.  He can sit for hours driving here or there.  I get squirmy after an hour or two so the thought of wasting a day on the road seeing an area I'd already seen was less than thrilling.  When SM suggested we stop at the FM to see what they had, I jumped on it.

There weren't many apple specific vendors there.  Really only two that I wanted to deal with.  Everyone else's apples were waxed.  That tells me that they've been shipped from who knows where. 

I found a fellow who had a least a dozen varieties on his tables.  None of them were waxed.  I told him I was interested in several cases for saucing and for fresh eating.

I tell you this fellow gave SM and I a detailed tour of his apples.  When they were picked, which ones to pass on ("They picked these Pink Lady's too soon.  Give it a few more weeks.") and had me tasting a Cameo apple that is our favorite apple this year.

According to my expert "Cameo's taste like a Gala but don't soften as fast."

Spot on!  SM and I had juice dribbling down our chins as we each bit into an apple half.

"You're an evil man."  I told him.  "Give me a case of those too."

All told SM and I bought a case of Cameo, Stayman and another case I can't remember the name of.  I also bought a partial case of MacIntosh. 

I swear he thought less of me for doing that but Mac's and me go way back.  I could pick out a Mac blind folded.  There's just something about the flavor of a Mac that is so distinctive for me.  It's the apple I grew up with in Ohio.  I remember heading over to the local orchard with my dad and picking up some apple butter, a gallon of fresh pressed cider and a bushel of fresh Mac's.

As we loaded up the Jeep I said to SM "Do you think most people would think we're crazy buying all these apples?" 




"Most people have never tasted your applesauce.  Most folks buy a jar of Motts or Musselman's and think that's the way applesauce should taste."  We like a chunky, cinnamon applesauce. 

So now you know what I'll be up to the next few weeks.

9 comments:

  1. Mmmm fresh apples are the best! Going to do some research into that Cameo, my daughter loves Gala, but if these will last longer, that is a definite plus.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Would you mind sharing your recipe with us for applesauce? Thanks
    Lisa

    ReplyDelete
  3. Now I have a bad case of apple envy this morning. I have one lonely little quart of applesauce on the pantry shelf I've been "saving" . . . because it's the last one! (Weird, I know.) I've been really craving the first apple pie of the season but in our house, it's hard to beat our love of homemade applesauce. Chunky , cinnamon-y . . . YES!

    ReplyDelete
  4. You crack me up something' fierce. But here's the thing that really threw me for a loop while I was reading this one - I thought you said SM *was* a gasoline ass. Which had me wondering what you meant by that. What does that mean...he's a jerk at the gas pump? ;) Gosh, "has" makes all the difference. Perhaps I need more coffee so I can correctly read the words you're putting in front of my face to entertain me. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Your apples are lovely! Mine are big ugly green things I picked from my son's old orchard...ugly but yummy...they're bubbling away on the stove right now...applesauce in my future, too! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. My brother in law just gave us a huge bag of apples. I will be making applesauce.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am with you on the chunky, cinnamony applesauce. I also add ginger and cardamon to mine to keep it from becoming boring. Isn't it great when you find someone who really loves what they grow? The best! I have the same Ohio memories - we always got Macs.

    ReplyDelete
  8. What farmers market did you get your apples from?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great post Tami. This is the first year we got a respectable harvest from our Gala tree. They didn't look too good, but were delicious! They made excellent pies and I didn't have to add sweetener to the applesauce. But it's nice to know about the Cameos, because my lament about the Galas is that they don't seem to keep well. Maybe planting a Cameo tree is in our near future.

    ReplyDelete