Apples are abundant in our house after our trip to Lawrence Orchards. When the oven was on for family dinner roasted potatoes last night, I couldn’t help but whip up an apple crisp. I use a simple crumble topping ratio that is adaptable to the ingredients I have on hand and needs of my guests. I can use white flour, white sugar and butter for a traditional crisp. More often I choose oats, whole wheat [...]

I was devastated when I found out that Windy Hill Farm, home of Charlie’s apples, has no fruit this year. Other sustainable eaters in Columbus were sad apples too. Thanks to tips from two blog readers, I found the next best thing to Charlie’s at Lawrence Orchards in Marion Ohio. Lawrence grows over 20 varieties of apples. They provide wagons, bags, maps, and descriptions at their farm market to help you find your favorites. The [...]

They say it was too cold or windy to warm the little bees’ wings. Or the apple flowers blossomed just before a storm and their white petals marbled the ground before they could attract pollinators. Perhaps it was Colony Collapse, A frightening name for the frightening idea that we humans or weather or something mysterious is killing the bees on which we depend. The only certainty is that apples are few this year. Then last [...]

Sometimes it’s better to just do nothing at all. That’s what I did when a dinner guest commented, “Ew! Gross!” And when my daughter sneered, “Mama! It’s different!” Friends and family members, including Alex, regarded the open jar of smelly cider with raised eyebrows and pinched noses. I maintained that I was following the vinegar recipe: pour fresh raw apple cider in a jar, cover with an air permeable top, and set it aside for [...]

I mentioned a few times that I love Ohio apples.  My sentiments are now indelibly inked on my shoulder, courtesy of Julie Edwards Whittaker, now tattooing at High Street Tattoo.

Our cider press has seen lots of action since we acquired it a month ago. Here is what it produced so far: October 26 – 1 liter pear cider November 6 – 1.5 gallons winesap cider, 1 gallon gold rush cider + lots of tastes consumed at our Cider Pressing Party November 21 – 5.75 gallons winesap cider, 1/2 gallon pomegranate cider We still have seven bags of winesap apples, some gold rush apples if [...]

What’s is wrong with this apple juice?  Let’s count the ways: 1) The concentrate came from China, where labor and environmental standards leave much to be desired. 2) The concentrate was labeled to ‘possibly contain’ juice from three other countries. 3) The concentrate was shipped thousands of miles to Texas where it was re-constituted. 4) Somewhere along the way, vitamin C and preservatives were added. 5) The juice was individually packaged in plastic and aluminum. [...]