Baked Applesauce and Tea

The weather cannot decide what to do with itself.  The sun shines, but huge black clouds are chasing it and, for a while, they win and it rains and sleets!  Then it is 10 degrees warmer because the sun is back.  But it is clear that the thermometer is only really going in one direction, down, and we will have a killing frost tonight.  I am just as glad.  What few flowers are left are raggedy and worn, time for them to be put to bed in the compost pile.  However, I am left with one glorious nature picture.  A really brilliant maple, shining so brightly in the sun becomes back lit by the very dark clouds and suddenly, brightness is rendered in stark, glowing neon!  Just breath-taking.

The Downies seem to have settled their differences and peace is reigning in our little corner of the world, at least among the feathered.  The furred realm tells a different story - I have been feeding a stray, a really beautiful black male named Black Kitty - really creative, aren't I.  He looked terrible when I started 6 months ago, but now he is gorgeous.  He is very polite and just eats from his dish and generally either takes a short nap or goes right out again.  However, Sarah hisses, Bert swats, and Ernie whines at him.  Neurotic ol' Andy pretends he is terrified.  He ignores them all, being composed of heavy muscle while their laziness -es are pretty wimpy.

I made Baked Apples applesauce today.  I had only bland tasting apples, so as I added cinnamon and cardamom, I thought, hmm I bought these for baked apples, why not... So I added raisins, a little brown sugar and some butter.  Voila,  Baked Apples Sauce.  It's very good.   I had it with some chamomile tea and toast.  The chamomile picks up the apple and they play nicely with each other.  A fortuitous discovery.  If you make very strong chamomile tea and boil it down it makes a lovely addition to a custard, using some of it in place of milk. 

I also had a little leftover Lapsang Souchong and instead of milk in my scrambled eggs, I used the tea.  Just the nicest hint of smoke.  I also use it in beef stews, to replace some of the liquid.

The Earl Goes Cherry Picking

I am realizing how much I enjoy early morning and late evening light.  In the morning, the woods in back are lit with gold backed by dark green and black.  Just before sundown it is the reverse, with the tracery of black trees against the gold and bright green behind them.  It is always interesting to watch the morning fog dissipate and that which seemed almost spectral become solid and spring into the day.

This has led me to think of other things I've grown to appreciate and one of these, which gives me great pleasure is our afternoon tea time.  It is so satisfying to my senses to take a quiet break in the day with my husband.  We have a small treat, share a pot of tea, and just relax.  Then there is the tea.  It is a never ending parade of aromas and tastes, much loved by one such as I who so enjoys the new and different.  I love to read about tea cultures in other countries.  Sometimes they seem quite alien to me, but we are all bound together by our love for tea.  But I regard alien as good, variety and difference is what makes the world interesting.  Can you imagine what it would be like to only have 1 tree, 1 flower, 1 animal, 1 style of person?  Booooring!

I am trying another Earl Grey today.  This one comes from the Japanese company, Lupicia.  The tea base is Keemun, which comes from China.  Bergamot is Italian, so I am getting quite the international tour today.  When I opened the packet, there was the lovely flower/citrus aroma, along with an unmistakable hint of cherry.  I thought I was imagining it, but it is still there through the brewing and on into the taste.  It's faint, but it does add a nice fillip to the bergamot, which is more on the flowery side this time.  I brewed this for only 3 minutes, per suggestions and the bergamot is pretty strong.  But it is all very tasty and I quite like it.

I noticed just yesterday that there are swathes of color through the trees on the hills behind us.  I want to call it gold, but it is closer to tan.  We've not seen many geese this summer, but now they are appearing, great flocks of them, heading south.  Usually there is enough water around here that they hang around, but this year our ponds are pretty dried up, enough so the water lilies never bloomed but only curled up their leaves and turned brown.  The barn swallows, which decorated the telephone wires have quietly left as well and I've not seen a hummingbird for a week.

Fall is a quiet time, sometimes a time for reflection, some sadness that summer is ending and soon we'll have to hunker down for winter.  I am so hoping for snow - we had so little last year, that I am ready for big snows.  My tomatoes all have late blight, but this year I don't mind, as I am sick of them.  I know, bad attitude, but there it is.  I am ready for apples and have apple sauce cooking, the wonderful aroma is filling the house.