Fall is my favorite season. The cooler days, the smell in the air, the glowing colors radiating from the changing leaves is so energizing!! And, the season is filled with nostalgia... which this weekend, came in the flavor of apples! You see, as the landscape changes, so does my culinary palette. My craving for fresh, crisp salads and cool fruit shifts to oatmeal in the morning and warm soups, usually with sesonal squash and other fall veggies, in the evening.
Yesterday, I was out for a drive along the lovely and scenic St. Croix trail, a road that follows the St. Croix river, and although I wasn't certain I'd find an orchard, my eyes were searching for a U-Pick sign. And, when I saw one, I turned in and found myself amongst gorgeous reds, yellow and green varieties of plump, juicy, ripe apples at Pleasant Valley Orchard. The task– fill the bag with Haralsons, the red hearty cooking apple recommended for pies, sauces, and other baking treats. Yup, I was going to try to recreate the applesauce I grew up with.
And, after the bag was filled and I'd had my glass of apple cider and was heading home, I called my Granny on the phone... to say hi and to get that special recipe. I missed her. She called back and I was out of range. She called again and I was fighting city traffic. By the time I was back home, relaxed, ready for a conversation it was too late. But, I cored and peeled the apples anyway, and decided to follow the basic suggestions from a random cookbook; water, cinnamon, sugar, cook. And this morning when I woke up to the slow cooker warming the batch, I dipped my spoon in, took the first bite and wish I had gotten Granny on the phone. Because it wasn't the same. It didn't suit or satisfy the craving.
I guess the craving wasn't just for apples and applesauce, but for the sweet memory of childhood. The days I spent in my grandparents house, on their farm, in their kitchen and in their care. It wasn't good enough to pull ANY recipe from a book, I needed THAT recipe... and I didn't have it. But, luckily, I bought more apples then I needed... so today I will call her again, WRITE DOWN the recipe and try again.
