Ok.  If you live anywhere close to apple country, or even have access to a store or market with fresh apple cider this is so, SO easy to make.

We took a trip to one of the local cider mills (Mark and I  went to school with the family who owns the place, so we're partial to their cider) and Honeycrisp apples were being pressed that day.  We bought 4 1/2 gallons of cider, and some cider doughnuts for the kids and brought the haul back home. 1/2 gallon went in the refridgerator for later, and the other 4 got to sit out on the table until they came to room temperature.

These amazing fruits have gone overlooked year after year and this year I just couldn't take it anymore!  I mean, LOOK at these!

The first summer we were in our house, I realized that our neighborhood is absolutely loaded with wild grape vines. That year I decided to make wild grape jelly for the first time and it was a hit! For the next couple of years, I kept an eye out, but there was never quite as much fruit... until this year.  And so, we have a brand new batch of jelly!

A few weeks ago I put together a batch of from scratch Marinara sauce made entirely from  local ingredients.

It's the equinox and from here on out the days will be shorter than the nights here in the northern hemisphere.  The weather has turned cooler and the leaves are starting to change color.  Everything that is going to set fruit this season is doing so and herbs and flowers for winter remedies abound.  This is going to be a photo roundup of what we've been doing and seeing around here lately.

Hope you enjoy!

Here it is, guys!  The crowning glory of Autumnal decadence...  my unforgetable, glorious, and amazing applecake recipe that I got from a multi-generational farm kitchen up in the "north country" and have over the years made my very own.

There is a Native American herbal legend that says whatever grows in excess during the growing season is an indication of what kind of a cold/flu/viral season it's going to be.   See lots of  random "volunteer" Coltsfoot?  Expect croup to show up.  See lots of Mullein? Bad upcoming hayfever season... Etcetera.  I see no reason to doubt this theory, it seems as plausible as any.  And this year I see lots and LOTS of Purple Aster and Goldenrod (there's always lots of goldenrod, by the way). New York (Purple) Aster (Symphyotrichum novi-belgii) is known to be a fairly strong nervine and is sometimes prefered over Valerian for sedative and sleep-promoting purposes.  It is also traditionally used to help counteract asthma and other bronchial irritation.  So, traditionally, the abundance of purple aster is telling us to expect a very "bronchial/sleep deprived" cold and flu season.  I believe it!  My asthma has been abnormally terrible the last couple of weeks and there's a story all over the news about some new virus that's causing fairly severe bronchial distress.


Granted, we still have our humidifiers and antibiotics and Doctors and, in my case, albuterol inhalers, but wouldn't it be great to have to use that stuff less?!


I had a great time harvesting 2 gorgeous flowering weeds today and they often grow together:  Purple Aster, and Goldenrod flowering tops.  I made a tincture out of the purple aster and added some elderberries to the mix for extra "cough" help, and I made an infused oil out of the goldenrod which is supposed to work really well when rubbed externally into sore muscles. Can't wait to try the oil when I decide after the Holidays that it's time to shape up a little (this happens every year! HAHA!).

I knew when I posted about making Zucchini Salsa there would be a "what could that possibly be used for" reaction.  Well, just thought I'd share some of the things we've enjoyed the salsa with/in.  It's got a lovely smokey, tangy, mildly spicy flavor and a GORGEOUS texture that you don't get from stuff that's been on the shelf in the grocery store for who-knows-how-long.

I have been gladly substituting my homemade salsa in any recipe that I'd usually purchase store-bought for and it hasn't let me down yet!



Perhaps the biggest hit so far was to use it to dip these super-easy kid-pleasing quesadillas.  It's just store-bought flour tortillas, smashed black beans, pepper and onion, and Daiya cheddar cheese. 


Next we tried putting it in a recipe for blackeyed pea salad.  It rounded it out SO nicely and gave it a delicious depth (and some added veggies).

In my continuing effort to proceed with the tomato theme, I put Gazpacho on my list of things to create last week.  We had all the ingredients on hand, ready to go and as I started chopping and stirring and measuring I realized 2 things:  1)  I wanted protein in my "soup"... so I added garbanzo beans and 2) It was 40 degrees and raining outside.  I wanted HOT soup.

When I finished with the Marinara sauce, I still had about 3 quarts of tomatoes left.  What to do?    We already tried crostata, but what about pie??

So, we took the crust recipe used in the crostata, and filled it with tomato pie ingredients this time around.  It was pretty darn amazing! Savory, salty and sweet it's perfect for brunch or an afternoon snack

• 1 9-inch pie shell (we used the crostata crust recipe)
• 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
• 3 medium tomatoes, cut in half horizontally, squeezed to remove excess juice, roughly chopped, to yield approximately 3 cups chopped tomatoes
• a palmful of basil (dried)
• 2 cups shredded Daiya "Pepperjack" cheese (Or Daiya cheddar would work too)
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise *see note*
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

*the only reservation I had about this recipe was that when eaten hot, it is a little on the greasy side. Next time I plan on using 1/4 c mayo and 1/2 c breadcrumbs for the top layer.*

As I said in my last post, I took a trip to our friendly neighborhood farmstand and picked up  A LOT of tomatoes!

And some local garlic and onions.   So, there was only one logical direction this could go: 

I admit it, the last couple of weeks I've been pretty rudderless.  No inspiration or creative energy what-so-ever... and I was crabby about it too.  Then, Hubby made this beautiful Crostata dish he saw on a friend's blog... and I was finally inspired to go out there and get some gorgeous ingredients for MORE stuff!


The last few days I've been busy in the kitchen chopping and preserving and simmering.  And I've also been making a bunch of artwork to go along with the book I'm writing (Mostly stories and recipes from here, and it'll be available in a few months both through Amazon and on my main page).

So, here's to a sudden burst of activity, and a YUMMY new recipe!




Using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, mix the flour and salt and thyme. Then, add the margarine and mix until it is the consistency of coarse cornmeal. Add cold water until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl, then remove and form into a ball and wrap in foil. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté the onion, zucchini and summer squash,  and sprinkle with garlic, salt and pepper. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side, then set aside.

Working on a well-floured surface, roll out the dough into a circle about 15 inches in diameter. Then  place the dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Dilly Beans are great!  I'm sure these'll disappear fast since I only made one quart.  But that's what's so great about Lacto-Fermenting... you can make as much or as little as you happen to have on hand at the time.

My daughter helped shake up the jar!