An apple a day......

keeps me happy, content, and hopefully healthy.  Apples are one of those seasonal items (mention in earlier post) that I have a compulsion with buying.  My favorite time of the year is Fall Harvest.  Here it is later that other areas, falling usually around late September lasting until early November, the first hard freeze.  I can remember picking early apples in June with my grandmother and mother.  Early  apples are as named earlier in the year, sometimes called "antiques".  These are my favorites because they are excellent for cooking.  You cut the apples, which are tart sweet sour, wash them in either salt water or water with lemon juice, add butter to pan, cover with apples and a little sugar or brown sugar.  You cook them on low heat only needing to stir once or twice.  When finished eat at breakfast or dessert after dinner with hot bread or homemade biscuits.  My mouth waters just thinking about them.  My other grandmother (the one with garden skirts) would actually make my sister, not me, apple dumplings for a special treat.  My sister still mocks me with this, stating how she loved her more than me.  ha ha ha.

So my apple compulsion has lasted this year through the winter.  Starting with apples given to me by my uncle that were about to go bad.  During my extra long winter break of stress, depression, and cleaning, I made myself feel better by cooking these apples (along with a loaf of fresh bread).  I felt better instantly and feeding into my addictive personality, "anything that makes me feel good" I must do over and over.  So far I have been through dozens of apples using up all of my stored apples from orchard and resorting to buying apples in the store (pictured above).  But I think if I have to have an addiction to something, this one isnt so bad.  I get extra fiber, vitamins, and most importantly peace of mind.