apples and chestnuts on my mind

I have an apple tree in my yard. It's a spindly apple tree. By all rights, so spindly that it should not produce apples. It had to grow very tall rather than full as it was searching for more sunshine from where it's planted in amongst many tall pines and dogwoods. It didn't take much to knock over, and it did fall last year as it was planted too close to the house where it was repeatedly bumped and brushed by stones and stone masons who working with knocking down and rebuilding my fireplace. I almost pulled the tree out entirely when I saw it lying on the ground and since it never had been very sturdy, nor done much up in the way of producing apples up to that point. I decided to try straightening and holding in place with a rope to hold it upright until some topsoil could be brought in for extra support and see whether it would survive. In spite of my never adding any topsoil, this tree, still staked, was loaded with blossoms last spring. I thanked him for his bravery for flourishing in the face of all odds. And he rewarded my gratitude and was loaded with apples this fall! Apples so large the branches had a hard time supporting them.



Now comes time to harvest these large and lovely apples. Remember this tree is spindly. Too spindly to climb to reach the apples. Almost too spindly to support a ladder even if I had one tall enough to reach the apples that were so high up stretching for sunshine. So my harvesting consisted of shaking the apples down, all the while apologizing to the tree for this treatment and trying to be as gentle as possible. Eight of them now sitting on my kitchen counter waiting to be turned into apple crisp. (Two lone resistant ones at the very tip top remain on the tree....for now.) Actually there were nine that fell with all the shaking, but I ate one. Delicious! Is there anything more delicious than a freshly picked ripe apple? Well, maybe a freshly picked tomato, but that's another blog.



Now on to the chestnuts. We have a beautiful park situated in my neighborhood next to a beautiful lake. This park is loaded with Chestnut trees and aptly called Chestnut Point. I frequently stop there for quiet contemplation, sometimes sitting on a bench nearby and sometimes just sitting in my car to read as I was doing the other day. Suddenly a loud clatter of chestnuts falling on my sunroof startled me out of my revelrie. I then realized that the park grounds were loaded with ripened chestnuts. Beautiful mahogany colored chestnuts. I picked up several and was so impressed with their exquisite beauty that I continued gathering until I had a bag full.



So what does one do with a bag full of beautiful chestnuts? We're a few months away from Christmas and "roasting by an open fire.." sort of thing. (Not that I know how to do that, but it sounds like fun, doesn't it?) Surfing the net, I discover ChestnutsOnLine.com (Who knew?!) and came across family favorite recipes for......chestnuts! I learned how to clean them, cook them, boil them, roast them, bake them, scoop them, peel them...and more. Ever hear of Chestnut Bisque? Cream of Chestnut Soup? Chestnut and spinach dip? Oh and get this....I can hardly wait to try this one......Apple-Chestnut mini muffins. (I need to cut back my apple crisp recipe by one apple for use in this recipe!) There's Chestnut Bread, Chestnut 'n Honey Cornbread, Chestnut Fritters, Chestnut Pancakes, Salmon and Rice with Chestnuts.....and the list goes on. Chestnut Biscotti, Chestnut Cheesecake, Chestnut crepes, Chestnut Cake....whew!

Yes, there's more, but I'm going to let you discover for yourself what other delights the Allen Creek Farm of Chestnuts has to offer on your chestnut adventure!


I love fall.