I took the day off from work yesterday so we could spend the day together as a family of four once again -- yahoo! We went the full-tilt, New England Fall Fun route with a trip out to Shelburne Farm to pick apples and select a pumpkin and eat some cider donuts.
Because it's late in the season, "picking" apples pretty much meant picking them up off the ground. This is easier said than done when you've got a baby in a pack on your back. The matter was complicated by the fact that my pants kept falling down. Allow me to explain. One would expect that after carrying and giving birth to two babies, one's hips would be wider and one's ass bigger. But in my case, the opposite seems to have happened, and all of my jeans are now falling off of me. The problem is exacerbated significantly by a frame backpack that exerts downward pressure on the waistband, and the action of squatting down and standing up repeatedly. (And lest anyone think this is a case of someone complaining about a problem they're lucky to have, let me assure you that what I seem to have lost in hip/ass circumference has been more than compensated for in the abdominal region.) Did anyone else out there have bizarre post-partum bodily changes like this? And, also, can someone please tell me what a "muffin top" is? I suspect I have one.....
But back to the Fall Fun. Alastair asked what the hell we're going to do with all these apples, and it had better be good because there's a hefty "experiential" surcharge when you opt to pick your own as opposed to buying them. I replied: "Make applesauce for the babies, of course!" They love it, and lately, it seems, the only way I can get Elsa to eat non-orange vegetables is by mixing them with applesauce. (Peas and applesauce....mmmmm).
I could just buy applesauce -- and I do sometimes -- but I have discovered that delicious homemade applesauce is very easy to make -- and make a part of your everyday routine. Plus, unless you pick the apples yourself at a touristy orchard, it's cheaper than store-bought. With less packaging, too! And that's something everyone can feel good about.
(Did I mention that I'm a copywriter by profession?)
My applesauce has been complimented by gourmet chefs, visiting dignitaries, babies, and local access cable celebrities. Here's how to do it:
1. Buy a bunch of apples. Any kind will do, but let's face it, Delicious apples simply aren't. Something a little tarter makes a better applesauce, and the sauce -- for reasons I don't understand -- will not taste as tart as the raw apples themselves.
2. Peel the apples and cut them into quarters. I generally do it with four quick slices, top to bottom, around the core. Toss the cores and peels to the hogs out back. They love 'em.
3. Put the apple quarters in a large pot and add just enough water to cover them.
4. Put pot on the stove, cover, and turn the heat to medium-high. Go away and do something else (play with babies, feed babies, change babies, sell babies into slavery, whatever), forgetting about the apples completely. When you remember them, approximately twenty minutes later, they'll be nice and soft and cooked, foaming slightly.
5. Drain apples in a colander or strainer, and give them a quick whirl in the food processor or blender.
6. Pour applesauce into ice cube trays and freeze, then remove cubes from tray and store in a ziplock bag in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the fridge before use. Or, more realistically, zap in microwave for about a minute just prior to feeding while babies sit in high chairs screaming. (Screaming may be lessened with Cheerios.)
That's it! Easy as -- nay, much easier than -- pie. Happy Fall, everyone.
