Harvest Week from Moncton, NB

 Here we are...already at Day 4 of Harvest Week.

 Today's guest writer is Lori from Moncton, New Brunswick.

After reading what local means to Lori, you'll be left dreaming of fall and Thanksgiving. 

If you're not already. 

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Eating local means different things to different people, whether you buy only local products at your supermarket, shop you local farmer's markets or even by supporting your local family run bakery. To me eating local encompasses the joy of friends as we enjoy food together. I love to cook, so using the freshest ingredients to create my dishes is always a must and that means using local supplies as much as possible.

One of my favourite ways of integrating local ingredients into my cooking is by visiting the local pick your own farms. There are certainly a few favourite haunts I love to visit each year. Each September, a few friends and I head to the local apple orchard to pick a few baskets of apples.

It's a great adventure where we meet up in the local Tim Horton's parking lot and decide who's driving that day before we hit the road to our orchard of choice.  When we get there it's all business. We prefer to use our own wicker baskets, so we have them weighed before start. Then we're off to the races! Of course, before we actually begin picking there is the usual debate of who is going to climb the rickety wooden ladder leaning up against the tree. I'm not sure why though, as it's usually me.  It's all good since this gives me the pleasure of enjoying bragging rights about being the only true apple picker of the group. We're all friends, so as the jest and taunts ensue until we're all laughing so hard we could pee our pants! 

It's usually around this time that we realize our baskets are full and our work is done.  As anyone who has picked apples before knows, it doesn't take long. Within 30 minutes our harvesting is complete, but its the best thirty minutes of the entire weekend.  For me, this is all part and parcel of eating local, sharing good times and laughter with friends and together enjoying the good food that follows.

Also since all our apple picking adventures end with a homemade apple pie I thought I would pass on my favorite recipe, takes from the Purity Cookbook published in 1967.

Apple Pie

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Prepare pastry and line a 9 inch pie plate with the rolled pastry.  Roll out the top crust; make slits in the center.

Peel and core apples, cut into thin slices to make about 6 cups sliced apples.

Combine:

2/3 to 1 cup sugar (depending upon tartness of the apples)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or Nutmeg (I normally use both and up the cinnamon since my friends love it)

1/8 teaspoon salt

Please one half of the apple slices in the pastry lined pie plate.  Sprinkle with half the sugar mixture.  Add remaining apples, heaping them in the center.  Sprinkle rest of the sugar mixture on top.  Dot with:

1 tablespoons butter or margarine

Moisten edge of pastry.  Place top crust in position.  Seal edges and flute.  

Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and the apples are tender.

Lori describes herself as a single, hard working girl who loves to cook, socialize and travel and she has an infectious laugh that just won't quit. She also enjoys the finer things in life like chocolate and chocolate.


Now go make that apple pie and be sure to come back and tell us how good it was.

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Tomorrow our finale post will be up with two amazing and inspiring 'locavores'.

We do hope you'll share with us what local means to you!

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