Beyond the South End

A Time of Gathering

Fall is the time of year that we gather things to see us through the winter. Last month we “gathered in the hay” and gathered boughs to bank our farmhouses with. Many of us will seek out our favorite apple picking grove to gather our favorite apples—can’t beat those Macintoshes! We might also visit our favorite apple cider stand like the one I used to visit in Connecticut every year.

Children will beg to visit a farm or roadside stand to pick out their favorite pumpkin to carve into a jack-o-lantern for Halloween. On some farms you may find gourds to pick out and varnish to put into a homemade cornucopia for the Thanksgiving table decoration. They are like snowflakes—no two are alike it seems.

Great-great niece, Alyson, gathering her pumpkin for Halloween.

Some people really get into the season and add a scarecrow or a witch on a broom to their outside lawn or porch decorations for the season. They will gather hay to make their stick-like figures. They may also add pumpkins with scary faces. (See some ideas below).

Gatherings

People also gather. Now that the outside fairs are over, like the Union Fair, folks gather at their local churches for their annual Church fairs. I always loved going to them. I see that the Federated Church in Thomaston had a fair lately where they raffled off a homemade quilt. Raffles are popular up home, along with auctions and family-type suppers at churches and other organizations like the VFW.

Apple Butter

Here in the south some country women will make you a batch of “apple butter” if you ask them real nice like. I had a neighbor next door to me once who advised me that she would make me some if I gathered some apples off the tree that sat on my rental property and brought them over to her. I had no idea what apple butter was, but I did as she asked and what she gave me in return has become one of my very favorite spreads.

As you will see by the recipe below, it really isn’t butter at all, but rather more of a thick jelly spread. You can find it in most southern-style restaurants here. I always ask for it at the Waffle House if I’m having toast. Here’s a recipe I found for you.

Homemade Apple Butter

(Courtesy of Food Network Kitchen)

Ingredients

4 pounds assorted apples, peeled and chopped

2 cups apple cider

1 cup packed light brown sugar

Kosher salt

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of ground cloves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Combine the apples, apple cider, brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large ovenproof pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, partially cover and cook until the apples are soft, about 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice, cinnamon, vanilla and cloves. Puree the mixture in a blender in batches until smooth (or use an immersion blender).

Return the mixture to the pot and bake, uncovered, stirring every 30 minutes, until thickened and deep amber, 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours (the timing will depend on the kind of apples you use). Remove from the oven and let cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 5 days.

Try it on:

Pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, grilled cheese, PB&J, toast, biscuits, cornbread, pork chops.

Carving a pumpkin with your favorite kid

Check out the downloadable pumpkin-carving stencils on this readers digest site. This is one example at: www.rd.com/slideshows/pumpkin-carving-patterns-ideas/#slideshow