"When the world wearies and ceases to satisfy, there is always the garden."
~Minnie Aumonier
Remember the 100 pounds of apples I was set out to acquire and all of your suggestions about freezing them? I began the process yesterday, setting up a little apple pie making station in the dining room. My plan was to get lost in these apples, to release worry and fear, discard it right along with the piles of seeds and peels, send every last bit of it to the compost. Allow it all to breakdown and manifest into something worthwhile.
I worked for a few hours on this while Emily was in school, as of this morning there are eight pie fillings in the freezer, more to put up today, probably another four pies worth. I also need to make some more apple butter. So far I've made and canned two batches (six pounds each), making a dozen 1/2 pint jars. I think I'll do a double batch for another twelve jars and that should hopefully do it for apple butter. The rest will be applesauce for Emily. Oh, let's throw a few cakes and some muffins in there too.
Last Friday, I called ahead to the orchard and inquired about gathering drops for a reduced rate. I thought of this after I read Erin mention she gathers drops for free... it turns out they can't offer this because they use them in the cider press. The owner did tell me in the little store on the farm, kept in the walk in cooler they sell 'seconds' for .65 cents a pound verses the $1.00 per pound for pick your own. I know many of us are smack at the end of apple picking but ask your farm about this. The quality of their seconds was superior to anything you'd find in the grocery store. And I spent $65 instead of $100.
I wish I could've spent the entire day at my apple station, but I needed to head out for my little part time afternoon job at my daughter's school. I haven't had the time to tell you about this yet, I will soon. It's been a lot of fun for both of us.
On the way home we were gifted this beautiful setting sun (which my wimpy camera is incapable of capturing, but trust me) and a phone call carrying the news that my husband's job, the one that we were told he was losing last week, has been reinstated for the time being. While we don't feel any long term security in this announcement, we are presently feeling a little steadier. The details of all that took place I'm not able to get into as his profession is bound by all sorts of confidentiality and ethical restrictions (ie... this wife can't shout from the rooftop what she is really thinking about it all...).
As we continued our drive home I listened to Emily's story about the major digger she took during a soccer game at school, how there is now a large bump on her head. I asked a battery of questions trying to gauge whether her belly ache and overall funny feeling were the result of a head injury. It turns out she's fine, nothing one huge apple off the pile on the dining room table couldn't fix upon returning home.
And so it goes. The sun finally set... this morning it rose again hidden behind rain clouds, but it is here. And it will move cross the sky until it releases into the horizon at the end of another day. This I know will happen. Anything else that may or may not enter our lives between now and then, I have no idea.