Last of the apples

So I made apple crisp from the last of the fall apples I picked on October 3.

As opposed to summer apples like Goodlands, which are juicy and soft and usually last about two weeks, these were crisp and tasted of wine.

I shared bags of these apples with co-workers and friends. I ate them in my lunch all fall, three small  honeyed apples instead of one storebought.

Everyone raved about them and as my supply dwindled, I couldn't quite banish the idea that the homeowner who owned the tree had no use for them.

I'd estimate that there are three groups of people who call Fruit Share: single elderly people who can't pick/use 150 lbs of fruit, people who don't like the fruit from the trees they've inherited from previous homeowners (because they're different, somehow, from the grocery store versions), and those who like their fruit but have too much to use themselves.

I benefit from all three types, so I'm not complaining. I'd far rather that fruit is redistributed to people who will appreciate it than have it get thrown out a bag at at a time throughout the summer.

It just makes me sad that people have become so fixated on what an apple or a pear or a plum "should" look like that they won't eat the fruit growing literally in their own back yard.

Rant over.

On Monday, my writing group was having its December meeting. I am usually the person who brings storebought baking, so I elected to make these last wizened apples into crisp with Mike's help and bring that.

We threw together the ingredients while our dinner was cooking, and since we were both famished, the following hangry conversation ensued:

"Am I supposed to use brown sugar AND maple syrup," M asked, scanning my handwritten notes on the perfect crisp.

"No," I said. "There are multiple recipes on that page. Use THAT one."

"Are you sure I'm not supposed to use maple syrup?"

"JUST BROWN SUGAR."

Even though the topping looked weird and I forgot to add water/sugar/vanilla to the fruit, it was delicious: warm, aromatic & sweet. And M was happy, because I brought back half of it and also some of Kerry Ryan's cookies.

I'm also at the end of my supply of homemade kimchi, so this weekend I'm going to be making more with my sister, who is similarly obsessed with kimchi. (I think that was the biggest souvenir from our year teaching English in South Korea...)