it’s apple picking season! i hit the orchard today with my sister and her awesome kids. apple picking with children is such a wonderful thing. they were so eager to help and really wanted to climb the ladders, so all i had to do was follow behind and try to focus the lens on their very quickly moving limbs.

i requested macouns and golden delicious and they hit the trees with open bags. we somehow managed to end up with an even ten pounds for the skfl/nene household. the total was only $6.50! i’m starting to become more budget minded now that employment is not in my very near future. the only other thing that clouds my mind is not having health insurance. i realized that when my eleven year old niece wanted to take my picture on the ladder. i reluctantly said yes while i thought about my second broken arm (a jumping out of a tree mishap in the fifth grade), and muttered “what if i fall? i don’t have health insurance.”

when i was little, the trees seemed so tall and it was such a thrill to climb the ladder. why let that stop me now? the trees at this orchard were pretty tiny, but there was still something very exciting about picking an apple that i would later consume. or add to a bunch of other apples eagerly picked by those sweet kids, knowing that they would go into a delicious pie filled with love. the love and nourishment that will help fuel me for this next chapter in my life. i have a feeling it is going to be one of the best apple pies i ever make.

we hit the local food festival at indian ladder farms in altamont yesterday. skfl waited in line for cider donuts while i wandered around, trying not to stumble over all the children. i was also trying to walk off the mad irish toast from a lovely breakfast at the miss albany diner with my blog buddies. (yeah, i’m trying to up my cool factor. during these uncertain times with no employment in site, i find comfort in such things.)

i swooped in as skfl reached the window and got a sneak peek into how they make the donuts. i’m not a fan of the cider donut, but can appreciate the need to wait in line for such a seasonal treat. he picked up a dozen to bring to work and forgot the bag on the prep table at home. luckily, the lovely mae did not feel the need to hop up for a morning snack.

more photos can be found over here.

i love being able to make a meal prepared with local food. it’s such a treat to get up on a saturday morning, watch a little 90210 while eating cereal, and then head out to the farmer’s market. i think next year we will go in on a csa. the market has been really overwhelming and so crowded these days. a csa seems like it would be so much easier to manage. plus you’d have to identify random vegetables and figure out how to prepare them. it would be like school – only fun! i recently stumbled upon the clever blog one local summer. they challenge you to prepare and eat one local meal a week. i rolled up too late to participate, but it’s nice to keep in the back of my mind while meal planning. here is a weekly staple in this household:

.:grilled spring onion bread with tomatoes and herbed chevre:.

.slice up a loaf of fresh bread (one inch thick)

.place on the grill until crunchy and marked with those beautiful lines

.cut up some fresh dill and chives and mix them into plain chevre with a little salt and pepper

.slice up a few tomatoes

.bring it all together by spreading the herbed chevre on the warm bread and top it off with the tomato slices

well would you look at that. (okay, you just did) i wrote a recipe. it’s dinky, but delicious. it still needs a sassy name. maybe.