Apple Pie

I have been talking about the fact that there are lots of apples growing in the ditches and in the fields around here. These are "wild" apple trees in that they were not planted by humans, but came from the seeds scattered by animals who ate apples in abandoned orchards. This post is about using some of these apples which are mostly "cooking" apples. The best way is in apple pie. We are going to friends for dinner, and I said I would take along an apple pie. Here is how I made it.

The End of the Tomatoes

In the last week or so, we have had two nights when the thermometer dipped to about +1, which is cold enough to nip sensitive plants like zucchinis and cucumbers. The tops of the tomato plants also got burned, so I decided to take in what is left of them to let them ripen in the house. I also tried a new method of taking them in.

Firewood

One of the most obvious reminders that winter is coming is the delivery of firewood.  For many years, we cut our own firewood with a friend. However, felling trees is very dangerous, and we now buy it. Even getting it delivered is a fair bit of work. It is dumped in the parking area, and you have to load it into wheelbarrows, and cart it to the woodshed, where it is piled, and some of it has to be split into smaller pieces.

Five Years in the Making

As I mentioned in a recent post, there are many "wild" apple trees around. When we started making the garden, one of these wild apple trees was growing in what was to be the vegetable garden. Instead of removing it, we decided to keep it as a rootstock and try to graft on it different varieties. Some of the grafts took and grew well, but we only had our first apples from the tree this year.

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness

Here are a few pictures of the September garden. A time of year when the light is often softer, when fruits and vegetables are finally ripening and roses make a last effort before the cold settles in.

Tootie

Concrete Globes

Looking at garden photos taken in the 19th century,  I noticed that several of these gardens had decorative concrete spheres. I decided to try to make some and use them as in my own garden. Here is how I proceeded.

Yours for the Picking

The Bruce Peninsula in Ontario used to be an apple growing area. You can still see old, long-abandoned orchards and, on each side of secondary roads,  many volunteer apple trees. These have been planted by the numerous wild animals who feed on the apples, mostly the raccoons and the bears. These "wild" apples have self hybridized and produce fruits that often are not tasty or are woody. However, among the lot, are some delicious ones.

Kagraner Summer 2

You might well wonder what is Kagraner Sommer 2? It is the name of my favourite head lettuce. It is a type of lettuce known as Butterhead (or Bibb, or Boston). It makes a loose head, that can reach the size of an iceberg lettuce, the most common head lettuce sold in North American grocery stores, but the leaves are much greener, more tasty and somehow more substantial, without being tough. Here is how I grow them.

Kagraner Sommer 2