*Phew* The Apple Adventure Has Came To An End !

My yesterday was pretty much the same as my day before yesterday, as I had to tackle the other 1/2 bushel of Spy apples with my name on it.  That is exactly what I did, with it all being said and done not until after the noon hour.

The total bushel of Spy Apples equalled approximately 17 medium size freezer bags, plus 1 very full deep dish apple pie.  I am now set for apples until the 2012 Apple Season rolls around again, when I make my next purchase of Spy Apples from Barbetta Orchards., should they have their stand back in Hepworth  next Fall.

I have found over the years, even though there are so many different "kinds" of pies out there, a plain old fashioned Apple Pie is still one of the favorites for many of us.

Author, Linda Stradley, of the What's Cooking America website, takes us on a little history tour of the beginning of the Apple Pie starting way back  in the 14th Century.  Take a little Apple History Tour by checking out Linda's website:

http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/PieHistory/ApplePie.htm

Grandma's Apple Pie Recipe

This Linda Stradley's Mother's, Dorothy Hagerman, apple pie recipe.

Recipe Type: Pie, Apples, Fruit, Pie Pastry 
Yields: 8 servings
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 45 min

Ingredients:

Pastry for 9-inch two crust pie
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
5 to 6 medium (2 pounds) green tart cooking apples
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon granulated sugar 

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare pie pastry.
In a large bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves; set aside.
Peel, core, and slice apples approximately 1/4-inch thick. Toss apple slices in sugar mixture until well coated.
Spoon apple filling into pastry-lined pie plate and dot with butter. Cover with remaining pastry and flute. Cut slits in pastry so stream can escape. Brush milk over top and then sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar onto top of pie crust.
Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until crust is golden brown and apples are tender. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack before cutting and serving.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Makes 8 servings.

I have already taken the liberty of following "What's Cooking America" on my Facebook page, as well as bookmarking the website.  I can't wait to try out Linda's Mother's Apple Pie Recipe, as I had just recently came across her website myself.

Rob had a completely different yesterday from what I had, as he took advantage of his day off by getting a few more items taken care of before Winter really set in on Bruce County ..... then we know what happens then !  I am not going to mention it now, as I am sure by this time last year we had "lots" of it, and it stayed until March !

"Here is Rob making sure everything is working the way it should before .......  "

"...... he dismounts and heads into the house to gear up for his last ride up the road before the "Honda" is stored for another long Winter Season."

 "I was really thankful I was up to my ying yang in apples, as it was way to damp for me to go along for the "last hurrah"."

"The old 5th Wheel Trailer gets moved back out of the driveway, to make room for when the Tractor & Blower cleans out the driveway when that "stuff" I am not going to mention arrives this Winter."

As I have grown older, and hopefully somewhat wiser, I have been more conscientious of being and staying healthy.  When my Cousin Paula sent me this little advice on Vitamin F, I was delighted to realize I have lots of Vitamin F in my life which I am grateful for.

Vitamin F

I loved this and want to share it with you... Why do I have a variety of friends who are all so different in character? How can I get along with them all? I think that each one helps to bring out a "different" part of me. With one of them I am polite. I joke with another friend. I sit down and talk about serious matters with one. With another I laugh a lot. I may have a drink (Coke, or Pepsi of course,) with one. I listen to one friend's problems. Then I listen to another one's advice for me. My friends are all like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.  When completed, they form a treasure box.  A treasure of friends! They are my friends who understand me better than myself, who support me through good days and bad days.  We all pray together and for each other. Doctors tell us that friends are good for our health.  Dr. Oz calls them Vitamins F (for Friends) and counts the benefits of friends as essential to our well being. Research shows that people in strong social circles have less risk of depression and terminal strokes. If you enjoy Vitamins F constantly you can be up to 30 years younger than your real age. The warmth of friendship stops stress and even in your most intense moments it decreases the chance of a cardiac arrest or stroke by 50%. I'm so happy that I have a stock of Vitamins F! In summary, we should value our friends and keep in touch with them.  We should try to see the funny side of things and laugh together, and pray for each other in the tough moments. Thank you for being one of my Vitamins! "Friends are precious and comforting towards one another, are they not?"

I am hoping there is a "little" more of that You Are My Sunshine in the day ahead, so I will see what the Wiarton Airport Weatherman guy has to say about that.

Will you look at all that "yellow" in this picture?  It is a kind of day I will take, even though it will come through all the windows and show the surmountable dust I haven't gotten around to yet ..... I will make it mine, and run with it !

With my Apple Adventure done for another year, I will have to see what kind of adventure I can muster up for myself in the day ahead, "Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard".