I Was Melancholy

So, I was reading a post from thepioneerwoman.com, and she was making homemade applesauce.  I hadn't even thought about homemade applesauce in years, but all of a sudden it made me melancholy. We lived on a small "farm" in a small town in Massachusetts for many years, where we had almost four acres of land, with chickens, pigs, goats, geese and lots of garden.  So, I sold eggs, corn, tomatoes and strawberries, just at a little table on the street where we lived.  It was a main thoroughfare, so it was pretty busily travelled.

I loved those days, as I was raising my kids, busy every day with them, their activities, the farm, my hubby, etc., etc.  It was hard work, but lots of fun, too.  I miss that.  We had bonfires at parties, hayrides for the kids a few times, grew pumpkins, and delighted in watching the kids try to pick up the biggest one they could.  And I canned, froze veggies and fruits,  milked a goat every day,just for our own use, and had meat from the pigs, and eggs from the chickens, strawberries when they were in season, etc.  I LOVED that life.  That kind of life continued when we moved to Vermont in 1978' and had a 119 acre farm there.  A proper farm.  We had a few cows, raised heifers, had chickens, and I continued canning, and freezing, etc.

To get to the point, I used to buy bushels of apples, especially in Massachusetts, and I would make pies and freeze them, and applesauce, and Apple butter.  I canned the applesauce and apple butter, and in those days, I had an old hand worked food mill.  I would cut the apples, skin, core and all, simmer them with a little water, til they were cooked, then put them thru the foodmill.  Because I left the skin on, the applesauce would have a nice pink color from those skins.   And it was the most delicious applesauce I ever had.  I would can as many jars as I could, cause we all loved it! and it would be gone before we knew it.  Here's the food mill.  Yep, I still have it.  To me, that wasn't work, it was just plain heavenly fun!


SorryI am getting long- winded.  Well, I have decided if I can find enough apples,  probably not at the grocery store, as they are too expensive, I am going to make applesauce.  I am so excited!  I'll check out farmer's markets, maybe I can find a bushel there.

Anyway , I WAS melancholy, but then I determined I would find cheaper apples and make my applesauce, so I felt a little better.  But THEN, the doorbell rang and guess what I had there?  My package was delivered from Susanbranch.com that I had ordered about ten days ago.   I haven't even unpacked all of it yet, but that package did the trick.  I am no longer Melancholy!!!  I know I WILL HAVE applesauce soon, and I have all these little goodies waiting for me as I unpack the box that arrived.  I waited a long time to order these items, and now they have come.  Isn't life beautiful?

I have got to get busy and start supper, and then I can open the box, and then go outside. And sit on the patio in this wonderful Fall air, and crochet, with a cup of tea.  Now, WHY would I be melancholy???

Later....  JO

P.S.  If you haven't visited The Pioneer Woman, or Susan Branch, do so soon, as they are both wonderful places to visit!!  xxoo