Fall and Apples in New England

A beautiful fall with brightly colored leaves is probably the first thing that comes to mind, when somebody thinks of New England. Autumn is my favorite time of year and always has been, I like the crisp air, the morning fog and the atmosphere all over. Autumn is a season for all the senses, the wonderful colors, the noises of crunching leaves with every step, the smell of wood and spices, the taste of apples, the slight chill. Since I moved here six years ago, fall became a necessity for my survival in Massachusetts. Why? Because I do not really enjoy any other season here. Winter is way too long and swallows up spring, just to make way for a hot and miserable summer. So most of the time, I am too cold or I am too hot.

Granted, I love the beginning of winter, when snow turns the outside into a sparkling and hushed world of magic, when one enjoys a toasty fire while telling stories and sipping hot beverages with ‘spike’. By the time February comes and goes I am so done with it. Catalogs of seeds and plants come in the mail and I chuckle - don’t they know I cannot plant before June? And summer? Our house that seems to hold no heat in winter, sure does a good job of it in summer and a good nights sleep is mere wishful thinking. Let’s just say, the nordic blood running through my veins is not made for this latitude. So there we go; fall is the superior season and the best way to enjoy it, is to go apple picking and what is my favorite apple? I think the Roxbury Russet is tied with the Pippin, which we call Cox Orange at home.

And what do we do with all these apples? Since I prefer savory over sweet, I recommend an apple-onion casserole, which goes so well with a turkey or apple pizza, where the tart sweetness of the apple balances the spiciness of sausage and cheese. Coming from a family of apple addicted women, they do not last long in this house. As a child, I would spend hours sitting in my favorite apple tree in the orchard on our farm. I would just sit there and eat apple after apple while reading. it was very relaxing, partially so, because in the previous month, I would sit in the cherry and plum trees, eat those fruits and then realize that I had just had something to drink. Now, I was told by somebody - I do not remember who - that drinking water and eating cherries would lead to your death and as a child, I was so honest, it never occurred to me, that it could not be true. Many times, I would realize that I had a drink of water and then I would just sit there and contemplate my imminent death. In that respect, the apple tree was much more relaxing.

Well, it is time to go outside , take a breath of fresh autumn air and plot with the children which neighbor we want to spook, since we were spooked last night. Spooking is a strange and funny tradition here, where some - unseen - person puts Halloween gifts/treats on your doorstep. Whoever was spooked puts up a sign in the window, because one can only be spooked once. Once you are spooked, you have to find a house that has not been spooked and be the spooker yourself. In essence, it is a kind of anonymous Halloween tag.