Tag Archives: pumpkin

Applewood Orchards & Winery

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Obviously, this post is insanely late. I think we made this visit in early October and you’ve already seen some of the fruits of our labor. (I’m a little rusty with the writing, so please forgive the puns.)

close-up-appleAnyway, Applewood Orchards & Winery was absolutely packed the Saturday we went way back when. It took us close to three hours to get there, thanks to some competition to take advantage of a beautiful day and the back-up caused by the nearby Sugarloaf Fall Festival (which looked like a ton of fun but just wasn’t in the cards for us).

Before setting out into the orchard, we binged on some freshly made doughnuts and apple cider for a late lunch. We also partook (is that a word?) of the fine array of wines available at the on-premise winery. With our bellies satiated and a good buzz on, we took to the trees, opting to skip the hayride express to the pumpkin patch.

pumpkinOur bag was almost half full with McIntoshes, before we realized that there were other varieties down near the pumpkins. While the wife sleuthed for our jack ‘o lantern-to-be, I hit more apple trees, attempting to add some diversity to our homogeneous bag. I grabbed some Courtlands, a few Macouns, Empires and Honey Crisps, and even a handful of Red and Golden Delicious (although these were small and probably could have used a few more days on the trees).

Meanwhile, my spouse picked a hell of a pumpkin.

Our arms full, and our legs tired, we proceeded to the check out. The whole deal cost $20, which was an absolute steal for a wonderful afternoon outside and some truly excellent produce.

And if you want to see what happened next with this pumpkin, turn the page …

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Potluck Thanksgiving

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Welcome back, constant readers. Or semi-constant readers. Or even first-time readers. Or whomever you are.

I’m sure you’re all dying to know how the pizza appetizers turned out. In a word: excellent. Everyone seemed to really dig them… although it was a particularly sympathetic audience.

Next time, however, I’m going to do some things differently. Because the cuts were so sloppy (making for big pieces), I’m going to chop up the pre-cooked crust into smaller pieces, and then top each piece separately. I think this will make them easier to handle and more like true hors d’oeuvres.

As far as the rest of Thanksgiving dishes (made and assembled in various kitchens), here’s how it broke down:

  • Turkey with gravy (natch)
  • Mashed sweet potato (in hollowed-out orange halves)
  • Corn bread
  • Stuffing (made by a butcher, with nice pieces of sausage)
  • Zucchini pie (made by Mom)
  • Apple/cranberry crisp casserole
  • Cooked corn

And for dessert:

  • Carrot cake (another Mom specialty, pictured above)
  • Pumpkin cheesecake
  • Macadamia cheesecake
  • Pumpkin/ginger mousse (a Mom experiment that didn’t really come together)
  • Pecan/chocolate chip pie

Good stuff.

I hope your holiday was just as tasty!