Random Thoughts and a little...........FLOUR

   

     This is a Macoun apple.  Isn't it a beaut?  I was lucky enough to purchase a couple on a recent trip to the New England area.  If we had driven instead of flown, I would have taken home an entire box.  This apple was that good!  I loved the fact that it made a pop sound when I bit the first piece.  It was sweet, with a just a hint of tartness and had a lightly spiced fragrance. The Macoun met all of my qualifications for a good apple.  No wonder it is considered the "New England favorite dessert apple."  I often purchase smaller portions of fruit when on vacation in a different area, just to try something different.  I sure am glad I did, especially because this apple is only available in the fall, specifically October - November.  If you ever have the opportunity to try one, you shouldn't hesitate.  An interesting fact I have learned is that the Macoun is a parent of the Honeycrisp apple.  So if you like the Honeycrisp and can purchase them in your own area in the fall, at least you are coming close to this treasure.  Happy crunching!

CARDAMOM - I ran across a recipe last year for Chai Sugar and decided to make it.  What mainly peaked my interest about it was that one of the ingredients was cardamom.  Until last year I had never even seen cardamom let alone purchase any.  (The photo at right shows the cardamom seed pods.  The seeds are removed from the pods and are ground into the powder used for baking.)  But I was pleasantly surprised at its color and aroma.  I want to say it smells exotic, whatever that means, right?  But believe me, it has a pleasant spicy aroma.  Some spicy scents seem hot or warm.  I don't get that from cardamom, but it does have a presence.  I made my regular banana bread recipe last week and added some cardamom.  It gave a little more interest to the flavor, so at least for fall and winter, it will become a permanent ingredient for that recipe.  Next I'm adding it to an apple pie.  I have read that cardamom works well with cinnamon and nutmeg recipes, so why not add it?  My regular banana bread recipe includes the usual flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, oil, banana, and egg.  Then the spices are a half teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. ginger.  Since cardamom seems not as strong as ginger, I would go ahead and add 1/2 tsp. or more.  I hope you try this spice in your next banana bread....and you like it!

CHAI SUGAR - I found the recipe in a 2013 Taste of the South Special Collector's Issue for Fall Baking.  However, it can be easily located on the Internet.  The recipe includes 4 teaspoons of ground cardamom.  If you decide to make this sugar, try using it in a favorite cookie recipe.  Thank you Taste of the South!

Lavender

 
FLAVORED SUGAR - Another idea I have read about from Mother Earth News Food and Garden Series, is making flavored sugars.  I appreciate this periodical and only wish to share the idea.  This process entails wrapping either dried or fresh herbs and placing them on top of about a cup of sugar in a container with a lid.  The mixture should get shaken every few days and would be ready for use in about a month.  I could see using these sugars in tea or other beverages.  I would love to bake with it most of all.  I plan to try this soon using some culinary lavender.

 

Garden Thyme

DRYING HERBS - I tried drying some herbs this year.  I followed a microwave method I read about that meant drying herbs in 30 second intervals.  I was a bit leery of this, but the thyme I used worked and dried well.  What also worked for me was simply placing clean leaves from the herbs I brought in on paper plates and positioning them on a table near my east facing windows.  The morning sun from daybreak until noon apparently was enough to do the trick.  I was pleasantly surprised.  The herbs I used were the thyme, sage, a couple of different mints, rosemary and basil.  Basil was by far the most difficult.  I think it had something to do with its moisture content.  I tried the paper plate experiment earlier in October.  I do not know if it would work as well now since we are later in the month and the natural light is not as strong.

& FLOWER

 

    These are beautiful dahlias I saw while on our trip.  They were planted outside of a diner where my husband and I ate dinner one evening.  I have only grown dahlias once.  Each year they must be planted in spring and then dug up for storage after the first frost.  I think I opted not to replant my bulbs again so I could plant something else.  A girl's only got so much room, right?  They are certainly a very attractive flower. 

     Here at left is some fabulous fall leaf color from New Hampshire two weeks ago.  This was our second time to witness the changing leaves in the New England area, and when we were there all of the color had not peaked!  I have always heard of the vivid shades of color in this area and now I believe it.

     Hydrangeas shown above are in their autumnal splendor.  Believe it or not, my husband and I were walking through a cemetery in New Hampshire, trying to find any familiar ancestral markers when I spied this oak leaf variety.  What a beautiful enhancement to this final resting place.  It is my understanding that these shrubs bloom white in summer and over time can turn shades of blush pink, rose, and even beige.

     This last photo at right is a cluster of pecans on a tree after their pods split and before they fall to the ground.  I have seen many sights like this one, especially when I was a child.  The biggest chore in the fall for my sister, brother, and me was picking up pecans.  Then we would sit around our dining room table and crack each one in a sort of vice, and then picked out the meaty treats.  Yes, I do say treats.  To this day I love eating pecans any way I can get them, but especially right out of the shell.