Image: Barbara Ryther
In the Fall
Apples are at their best in the fall…
I look for smooth, red skin.
No bruises, please.
Honey Crisps for eating
Macs for sauce
Cortlands for
crisps or pies.
Today is a good day for a crisp.
At the farm stand
I buy six Cortlands.
At home with my apples,
the peeling begins.
I remember
my grandmother’s challenge—
only one long peel per apple.
After years of practice,
six unbroken peels—
one for each apple—
fall from my knife.
Now, mouthwatering slices fill the pan—
all but one slim wedge—
the cook’s sample!
A sprinkle of tart lemon juice
on the crisp slices
cuts the sweetness and
stops any browning.
Then oatmeal, brown sugar
and butter are cut together
with a teaspoon of spicy cinnamon.
The buttery crumble tops the apples
and the crisp is ready to bake.
Of all the fall harvest smells–
the dusky leaves rustling on the ground…
new mown hay fields…
apples crushed in a cider press…
pumpkin pies cooling–
the scent of apple crisp baking
is best.
Now—where’s the ice cream?
Sudie Blanchard
10.15.22