A smaller, but still outstanding, apple crop.
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October 6
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Pam said on September 22, 2012 at 9:57 am
Just yesterday, I made our first apple pie of the season. It’s delicious, made with Cortlands. Still several apples left over to just eat plain. Pie is the only way to get B & J to eat fruit.
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del said on September 22, 2012 at 10:33 am
My family looks for Northern Spy for apple pie.
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Prospero said on September 22, 2012 at 11:08 am
Apples rule. God on Her very good day. And I still say Macoun is the finest.
http://www.nyapplecountry.com/macoun.htm
Parbly not great for pie. Pretty sweet. Incredibly crisp. I like apple pie fine, but just chomping an apple beats any pie version.
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Charlotte said on September 22, 2012 at 11:16 am
I’m probably looking at having to replace a couple of apple trees in my backyard. One of the yellow transparents appears to be finally giving up the ghost — one of those very old apple trees that has come back after splitting sometime in the ancient past. I also have two enormous “red” apple trees — one of which looks to be going — between the drought and 10 years of the dogs girdling it by peeing … sigh.
On the other hand, I’m dreaming of dwarf stock so I can actually harvest, and perhaps replacing them with pear trees.
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nancy said on September 22, 2012 at 11:17 am
Del, your family has the right idea. Still too early for Spies, however.
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Prospero said on September 22, 2012 at 11:23 am
People acting sane:
http://onlineathens.com/uga/2012-09-21/international-coffee-hour-celebrates-40th-big-party
I used to have a pear tree. they were hard as rocks and very tasty. Used to put ’em in my pockets when I walked to the bus that took me to the redline to downtown Boston. It’s too bad that public transit is commonniss. 30 miles away, in just under 30 minutes. And I could read the whole time.
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Dexter Friend said on September 22, 2012 at 12:18 pm
Jonathan apple freak checking in. Carla Lee brought in a bag yesterday, tiny apples, thick peel, not very good…the first bag she bought, Ohio Jonathan apples, were very good. It’s time for my annual trip to Britton, Michigan, Kapnick’s Orchard, to scope out this year’s crop. My wife is a Cortland lover, but you must get them crisp, because mushy, they are really bad.
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alex said on September 22, 2012 at 12:34 pm
When I was maybe nine or ten, we lived near some people who had a pear tree. Their kids and my brother and I made a game of beaning passing cars with fallen pears while hiding behind a hedge. The pear tree owners caught on and put an end to the fun, so we shook the tree until it was practically bare and filled a giant plastic refuse container with pears and dragged it over to my house.
One evening I was outside practicing my tennis serve using the pears because I was too lazy to go fetch balls, not necessarily aiming at passing cars but not exactly avoiding them either, when an early ’70s blue Dodge Polara 4-door hardtop with no pillar and a big wide expanse of open window cruised by. A pear I’d just swatted smacked a woman in the front passenger seat right upside the head. I ran into the house and hid in a back bedroom. From there I could see my parents reclining on their patio reading and having an after-dinner cocktail.
“Ring-ring-ring-ring-ring” went the doorbell, furiously. “Ring-ring-ring-ring-ring.” The ringing kept repeating for about a minute but my parents didn’t budge. I was trembling and my heart was pounding. Then my dad chimed in with the best line ever: “Those goddamn kids. You’d think by their age they’d be tired of playing with that fucking doorbell. Why can’t they find something better to do?”
So the mention of pear trees always brings me a smile. And the term “saved by the bell” will always have a special meaning for me.
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Deborah said on September 22, 2012 at 12:49 pm
Downright chilly in Chicago today, feels great. I’m off to the green market to buy me some apples, maybe make a pie later. Thanks for the suggestion.
Great story Alex, well told.
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alex said on September 22, 2012 at 12:51 pm
Regarding the decline of the News-Sentinel discussed in yesterday’s thread, in all fairness the paper does on occasion publish some things that are balanced—like this item that appears sans headline. What’s up with that? It’s a good read, by the way, describing the decline of the Wall Street Journal under Rupert Murdoch’s ownership.
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Kaye said on September 22, 2012 at 1:32 pm
Great story Alex.
Picked up a variety of apples yesterday. Made a great crisp but the sauce experiment was unsuccessful. Still plenty of apples to try again.
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Deborah said on September 22, 2012 at 2:39 pm
I bought Jonathans for pie and honey crisps for eating. I had one of the honey crisps while I walked to the Lincoln Park Whole Foods, where I’m now sitting at the bar having an Octoberfest German beer (the bar is in the Whole Foods!). Great fall day, my favorite season.
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Jolene said on September 22, 2012 at 2:42 pm
Sometime back, I made this rather unusual apple pie (note the absence of cinnamon and the separate baking of the apples). Was really delicious and got great reviews. If you’re looking for something a bit different, give it a shot.
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coozledad said on September 22, 2012 at 3:54 pm
Hilarious, Alex. In my neighborhood that would probably have triggered a blood feud.
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Deborah said on September 22, 2012 at 5:19 pm
Jolene, that sounds good I will try it sometime but I don’t have all the ingredients right now. I’m gonna try making this pie today with honey rather than sugar. I found a recipe but I’m going to put half the honey they recommend because I don’t like overly sweet desserts. I’m not opposed to sugar I just don’t have any and couldn’t find it at Whole Foods today, so it’s gonna have to be honey or no pie. I like tartness over sweetness, that’s why I’m using Jonathans.
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Charlotte said on September 22, 2012 at 7:31 pm
I read someplace that pears only ripen once they’re off the tree (Nigel Slater’s “Ripe” perhaps? I reviewed it this summer and it gave me a serious case of garden envy that resulted in buying 3 gooseberry plants and 5 red currants). I stole some from a house down the block last summer (they were clearly being ignored), ripened them in the kitchen until the whole place smelled like pears, then poached them in red wine. They were pretty fab.
Today I was an insane person — put up tomatoes, pickled peppers, roasted peppers and stock made from the ham I cooked this week to make way for the whole pig and lamb we bought that arrived yesterday. You’d think I’m a grizzly bear from the way I start hysterically putting up food this time of year … but I’ve got a freezer full of meat and a pantry full of canned goods. You know, just in case the grocery stores all fail or something …
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Charlotte said on September 22, 2012 at 7:32 pm
Um, that was “stock made from the ham bone” — we ate the ham …
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Deborah said on September 22, 2012 at 7:46 pm
My apple pie looks so good it could be in an ad. Haven’t cut into it or tasted it yet. It’s so beautiful there’s a part of me that doesn’t want to ruin that. My husband wants vanilla ice cream with it so I have obliged.
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Joe K said on September 22, 2012 at 7:56 pm
My oldest,who chimes in from time to time,made a sugar cream apple pie for me last week. One of the best pie have had.
Hanging in Sourh Bend with lots and lots of pilots.
Pilot Joe
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Linda said on September 22, 2012 at 8:35 pm
Northern Spy is indeed the best, and I’ll wait patiently for them. But all the apples seem good this year. And I’m ready for them. Usually, I put off apples, since starting the apple season is a concession that summer is really over. But this year, I’m ready for summer to be done.
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Deborah said on September 22, 2012 at 8:55 pm
Well not only did the pie look good but was also delish. The honey thing was successful. Will remember that.
Had roasted root vegetables for the main course, apple pie with ice cream for dessert. Ahhhh fall.
Lots of leftovers.
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Bob (not Greene) said on September 22, 2012 at 9:04 pm
It’s officially fall. French pork stew in the oven. Glass of Beaujolais on the table.
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Jolene said on September 22, 2012 at 9:24 pm
Joe, what is a sugar cream apple pie? Never heard of that before.
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Joe K said on September 22, 2012 at 9:30 pm
I’ll ask my daughter to log in. I guess it’s a sugar cream pie with apple in it.
Pilot Joe
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Suzanne said on September 22, 2012 at 9:35 pm
OO La La, the French Pork Stew! Mouthwatering good and then some.
Apple dessert? Try this: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/apple-crostata-recipe/index.html
Tasty and easy.
But a sugar cream apple pie sounds marvy, too!
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on September 22, 2012 at 9:37 pm
Has anyone tried the Christopher Kimball trick of making the pie crust with vodka? It allows you make the dough to the right consistency, but evaporates quickly enough when heated to allow for a much lighter, flaky crust than is usually doable without major working of the dough. But I doubt it would work with Heaven Hill, and I never have any vodka around when I’m in a crusty mood.
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beb said on September 22, 2012 at 10:17 pm
“I never have any vodka around when I’m in a crusty mood.”
A phrase so nice it had to be said twice.
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Basset said on September 22, 2012 at 11:18 pm
Yes, it is indeed fall. Deer season began in Tennessee today – just archery so far, muzzleloader and rifle both start in November.
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Rana said on September 22, 2012 at 11:34 pm
It’s definitely feeling like apple season here. Went by the Apple Fest at Lincoln Square earlier, and picked up our second quart of Empire apples. They’re pretty tasty; nice and tart, but not as sour as Granny Smiths. They’re not as “spicy” as some varieties, but good for eating out of hand.
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brian stouder said on September 23, 2012 at 12:01 am
Chloe (the 8 year old) and I went to a marching band competition this evening in Kendallville, and it was flat-out COLD!
We had our winter coats on, and gloves and hats – and it was almost not enough.
South Side did well enough, scoring a third in their class, and then Chloe and I skidaddled and snapped up some hot chocolate.
And then when we got home, there was fireworks! St Francis had their homecoming, and they put on a first-class fireworks show – so we went past our house and down the block, and had a front-row seat for a spectacular show – and a very grand Grand Finale….so it was an odd sort of September evening
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Crazycatlady said on September 23, 2012 at 12:10 am
News from Mitch Albom-land: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/21/mitch-albom-haiti-orphanage-lawsuit-sued_n_1903668.html
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Dexter Friend said on September 23, 2012 at 12:12 am
I picked a sack of apples today from a tree in the park. I have been taking a few apples from that one tree nearly every year now for many years, as no one ever picks them. No one sprays them , either, so I have to watch for worms, but they are very good apples, and I do not know what kind they are, I just eat them. This year’s yield is tremendous; this is the third sack I have picked this year and the tree still has many apples on the branches. They are sweet and very crisp and juicy, a very tasty treat, and all free. It’s fun to pick apples, and I am not too proud to pick newly fallen ones off the ground. I wonder why no one else ever picks them? It’s not hidden or anything.
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Dexter Friend said on September 23, 2012 at 12:17 am
Deborah! Leftovers you say? Save me that apple pie, and don’t spare the vanilla ice cream.
I just gotsta have mese’f one more apple, just one more….
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David C. said on September 23, 2012 at 6:56 am
The best apple pies I ever had were from a tree back by the lane in the back of Grandma and Grandpa’s farm near Grand Rapids. They were little apples, not more than 2-2 1/2″ in diameter, so you really had to work to peel enough for a pie. It was so worth it though. I have no clue what kind of apple it was and it was knocked down 20 years ago when they put highway M-6 through. Every year we go down to Weston’s Antique Apples in Milwaukee to try to find out if there is one I recognize. I’ve had no luck so far, but it sure is fun trying new varieties every year. I find Spitzenbergs and Ashmead’s Kernel apples especially tasty.
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Suzanne said on September 23, 2012 at 8:35 am
Jeff @26, I did try the vodka pie crust recipe! It was flaky when baked but almost impossible to roll out because of the consistency. I need to try again and see if I can improve. Maybe I didn’t chill the dough enough or something.
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Judybusy said on September 23, 2012 at 8:41 am
Prairie Spy is one of my favorites–great for my morning apple and yogurt breakfast.
Alex, love the story–way to go to bat for you!
My partner and I were married the first day of fall in 2001. (Well, we had a beautiful ceremony, and someday it will even be legalized!) Anyway, we spent a wonderfully lazy day capped off by a night at the opera. It was opening night, so lots of glamour all around. The opera was Nabucco, so very pretty music by Verdi, which we both agreed was sometimes at odds with the drama.
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Kristen said on September 23, 2012 at 8:48 am
I have a subscription to Cook’s Magazine, but I’ve never tried the vodka/pie dough recipe. I use Martha Stewart’s basic pie crust recipe from her old Pies and Tarts cookbook, and it comes out perfect every time. Use a food processor and cold cubed butter and you’re good to go.
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Prospero said on September 23, 2012 at 12:18 pm
Judybusy: Otis B. Driftwood thanks you. So does Margaret Dumont:
http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/224503/Night-at-the-Opera-A-Movie-Clip-Otis-B-Driftwood.html
And it’s sure legal by me. We be common law round here. And one of us is certifiable.
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Jolene said on September 23, 2012 at 12:58 pm
Seen on Twitter after announcement that new baby panda at National Zoo had died:
BREAKING: Romney calling emergency presser to rebut charges he killed the National Zoo panda cub.
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Catherine said on September 23, 2012 at 1:13 pm
The Cook’s vodka crust is the bomb. Works for me every time. Going back to the discussion here of grandma’s cooking, I had one grandmother who made the best pies ever (but not much else), and one who was an incredible baker (think sponge cake from scratch), but couldn’t make a decent pie crust to save her life. Well, grandmother #2 is the one who really taught me to cook, and I never could make a pie crust that was even close to grandma #1’s. Thanks to that Cook’s recipe, I can claim descent from both women now.
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MichaelG said on September 23, 2012 at 1:27 pm
Tell you how old I am, when I make a pie I use the crust recipe out of my tattered old ‘Joy of Cooking’. I still have the old book I got over forty years ago and it is tattered but it’s retired now. I found an almost pristine one in a used book store for five bucks or so a few years ago.
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Prospero said on September 23, 2012 at 3:05 pm
Neither of my grammas could cook to save her life. But, they were my Grammas, so what the hey. My mom was not a great cook either. I’m a pretty good cook, but no baker. I believe the two things are entirely different skills, and baking involves slavish attention to recipes.
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Deborah said on September 23, 2012 at 3:32 pm
12 years ago today my husband and I were married on our mesa in Abiquiu. We actually lived together 10 years before that so we usually think of it starting then. We are going to celebrate at a restaurant called Graham Elliot this evening. It ‘s supposed to be good, I’m looking forward to it.
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Rana said on September 23, 2012 at 4:34 pm
@32 Dexter, there was one time we were in Portland visiting friends, and while we were there the local foodbank sent gleaners out to all the people with fruit trees going a-begging, asking if they could harvest the fruit for the foodbank. It was a win-win all around; the tree owners got some of the harvest picked for them, and didn’t have to deal with the mess of fallen fruit, and the foodbank got a free and abundant supply of fresh fruit for their clients. More places should do that, really.
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Judybusy said on September 23, 2012 at 8:18 pm
Deborah, congratulations, and I hope the evening was wonderful!
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Dexter Friend said on September 23, 2012 at 8:34 pm
Rana ,that’s great!
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Dexter Friend said on September 23, 2012 at 8:36 pm
After scoring fourteen points in the last few seconds of the game, the last touchdown on a crazy “hail Mary” pass from about fifty yards after a recovered on-side kick, the Lions lost anyway. This IS Detroit football.
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