You may be asking where on earth I have been, or maybe not. I have a habit lately of getting too busy to document life. In this case I have been busy with the apple harvest, trying to gather in all the good things growing and ripening on the trees on our little 5 acre parcel.
Along with two large trees full of regular apples at the neighbors house that we have been given to pick, Earl found enough wild grapes in the woods to make a good size batch of some of the best grape jelly we have ever tasted. Nothing like the high fructose glop the stores sell, it is sweet and tangy and well worth the effort it took to make.
We also found a very large wild crabapple tree in the woods, full of the most beautiful little blushed golden apples and nearly every one just perfect.
We can well afford to purchase food, but letting beautiful, bountiful, fresh, organic produce like this fall to the ground and be wasted would be a shame. Gathering it up allows us to fill our pantry with the best product available. Not only for ourselves, but to give as Christmas gifts with fresh warm home made bread!
From one little 1/2 bushel basket, we got six 8 oz. jars and seven 4 oz. jars of clear, tangy wild crabapple jelly. To make it even more special I was given the recipe by a dear blog friend Barbara who lives way across the sea in beautiful Cornwall, England. Barbara sent me her apple jelly recipe and it was so easy! No pectin, just the juice of the apples and sugar cooked until the natural pectins jell.
If you would like the recipe you can find it here on her blog.
I've also been busy putting together a party tomorrow to share the apple bounty. Apple pies, home made apple cider, hot cocoa, fresh donuts and chili with cornbread just so we don't all go into a sugar coma:>) And to make it all even better the forecast of for another perfect sunny fall day in the low 70's.
I'll be sharing next week how I put it all together.
How about you, any plans for enjoying the bounty and beauty of fall this weekend?
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So glad it worked well. I have just done my Apple jelly, but it has a very pale colour compared to yours. Tastes good though!
ReplyDeleteThese are beautiful Kathy. I love the jars stacked in my pantry in the fall. There is nothing prettier. The color of your jelly is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your comment about well being able to afford food... I enjoy those same values. I hope I never get to the place where I do not want to enjoy life with the simple pleasures and then sharing them. That is the very best sort of life and the most filled with joy. Who wouldn't feel EXTRA SPECIAL receiving a loaf of fresh home made bread with the jelly. I'll be thinking of you tomorrow and your fall party. How many are you planning on? I will be enjoying one last Farmer's Market tomorrow. I will miss all the Farmer's Market Family. We have such a good time as vendors and are all very good friends.
ReplyDeleteI zipped over to read about Barbara's recipe...hmmmm...wish I knew of some crabapples. Short of that, I do have access to some sort of wild apples. Your apple celebration party tomorrow sounds like great fun!
ReplyDeleteThat jelly looks so pretty! I have never made crab apple jelly, but one year we made wild plum jelly from a tree in our woods. The first batch set up like stone (with no added pectin). So I added more liquid and didn't cook it as long, and the next batch turned out great.
ReplyDeleteWhy let all that go to waste. Good idea. I ask my neighbors for their apples. Almost every yard in my neighborhood has an apple tree or pecan tree or something edible and hardly anyone harvests these fruits. What a waste.
ReplyDeleteThose are such pretty crabapples! We used to have crabapples but they were little hard green ones.
I so agree with Anita, Kathy. There are some things we just can't buy. I would love to try the crabapple recipe for canning, but where to find them?!
ReplyDeleteI know your party is going to be great...the weather has been wonderful! And thanks for the post,,,I love your visits but your posts are always a big treat! :)
XO,
Jane
We have been harvesting and preserving too. Today I canned the last of the green beans from our garden and tomorrow I'll make a large batch of marinara for the freezer. I love to open a jar of beans from our garden in the middle of winter. It's the simple things that make me happy. Mimi
ReplyDeleteWe went to the apple orchard yesterday and brought home some beautiful apples. That apple jelly sounds wonderful!
ReplyDeleteYou've given me an idea for Christmas gifts! It's time for me to get busy and 'grab' the last fruits of the season before they are gone!
ReplyDelete~Adrienne~
I love giving homemade jelly for gifts...I'd better get busy...not access to crab apples but we have a nice apple orchard near us...
ReplyDeleteThanks dear heart, for the kind comment.
ReplyDeleteI love you to the moon and back...
and I am sure eying those pumpkin pillows. :)