February 1, 2010
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Apples in the Old Sink (Scavenger Hunt#13)
The MooncatBlue ( And Nelson too) Scavenger Hunt Throw Down II.
15. Something inspired by what you see in this photo by Seedsower.
This is basically a true story
It was later in the fall when my husband Dave said he noticed lots of apples
on the ground at the neighbors old homestead.
Mrs Stein, who lives in the fieldstone farmhouse is now over 100 yrs old
and the gnarled trees in the apple grove, at least twice that old.
Dave stopped in and asked if we could pick up the dropped apples and use them,
he promised that we would bring her some applesauce when it is finished.
She was overjoyed to know that the apples would be used.
The trees are old heirloom apple trees like Baldwins,Winesaps,
Smokehouse and Grimes Golden.
Dave stopped back to gather the apples the next day,
he picked up about fourteen bushels of them.
We cleaned them in the greenhouse at the old 'Porcelain Over Cast Iron Sink'.
My brother in law Karl made the spigot out of a pipe for the sink.
I love that old sink, they were going to replace it but I asked them to leave it,
I like the work space, sinks nowadays do not have room like that.
Those old sinks were made for work.
When I stood there washing the heirloom apples in the old sink
I thought of how fitting that was.
I imagined that there was an old farmhouse similar to ours
in the late 1920's - 1930's
that still had an old dry sink and hand pump
in the kitchen just like my mom used as a child.
I could envision the big white sink in the back of a old pick up truck
as the husband brought it home to surprise his wife.
They would still have to use the outhouse for now, but someday they would have
a new toilet and claw-footed bathtub too.
I thought of all this as I stood at the sink washing and coring apples.
We worked all day and got the applesauce made and in the freezer,
it was enough for the next year.
It is a treat to serve it throughout the year.
The best part is when it is almost thawed,
all but the frozen chunk in the middle, we pass it around the table and
everyone chips a piece of that off as they dish it out and they
enjoy the icy sweetness as it melts in their mouthes.
The next day Dave took the promised applesauce to Mrs Stein
and when she eats it, she closes her eyes and smiles.
The taste reminds her of long ago when her mother made applesauce
with apples from the same trees.
Her mother used the big cast iron kettle on top of the old cookstove,
she remembers being so little that she had to stand on a chair
to see what was simmering in the kettle.
Her mother canned the applesauce to preserve it and stored it in the root cellar
on long shelves where there was row upon row
of canned goods that had been "put up".
She savors the applesauce and the sweet memories.
Comments (44)
memories are encouraging things...sometimes.
jus'me
cm
does homemade apple sauce taste better?
@ShimmerBodyCream - It does,it is sweet and tastes more like the apples,not watered down.
I love that sink. I love claw-footed bathtubs, too.
That is absolutely beautiful! Thank you for sharing that Beth!
such a great way to bring the past alive, a sink filled with apples but now with new memories added to it. Blessed Be, Katie from poeticgarden.com
I love, LOVE this story, Beth
Thanks for sharing it~
Mmmm, applesauce! You tell the story so well. :0)
You have captured the essence of what a "foretaste of the feast to come" is like. When we taste something that brings a flood of memory and love from the past into the present and merges it with the love and caring that resides with us and in us now. Beautiful story. Thanks for sharing it!!
ah, the sight of apple saw on the make...the rest of this blend memory is how you never evertaunt your sister whilst doing dishes as butter knives burst the bottom in levi's (no,not me)
The perfect blend for delightful applesauce. Cooking with love and fine memories stirred in.
@I_once_was - You were bad!
thats a wonderful story ! home made applesauce is something i have yet to experience. something to look forward to.
Dear Seedsower,
You have made this old plumber's heart glad,
That you appreciate makeshift plumbing.
Those new young plumbers have no idea how to improvise,
and they'd rather install the new stuff, instead of
savoring the old and the practical.
If only you weren't happily married...
PPhilip the Plumber.
That was lovely. Makes me want to make apple pies now.
I will have to teach my oldest daughter the art of home made applesauce, she has started making home made bread, loves fresh foods...this would be right down her alley...and SO good!!! Thank you for a really wonderful story...wish I was close enough to share some of that yummy stuff!!
Ruth Ann
Beautiful story. I love homemade apple sauce. If you whip some egg whites with sugar until it's stiff (like making meringue) and then fold it into apple sauce, it makes a wonderful light, summer dessert. I think it's called Flummery. But you probably already know that!
Aw, Beth, this was better than any fiction . . . there are moments in our lives when something small - like washing apples - will trigger another memory, another kindness and if we allow ourselves to follow the connections, we're given a clear vivd vision of who we are and where we came from. A real treasure . . . this piece was remarkable . . .
what a sweet story... pun intended!
Homemade applesauce is awesome...store bought doesn't even come close. I haven't made it in a couple years though. Wonderful story! Sweet memories, indeed!
Oh the ending~ perfect ending. She savors the applesauce and the sweet memories.
Homemade applesauce is the best!
as is homemade apple butter..
The frozen chunk in the middle, that's the best!!
Now I want me some applesauce!
Loved this piece! Awesome!
My mother used to pick strawberries every spring, bring them home and make lots of jam. She froze it in empty margarine containers, and we would thaw about one container per week throughout the year. Sometimes a container would not set up enough to use on toast, so we used it as a topping on ice cream. She would also freeze several bags so that we could have strawberry shortcake every week or so throughout the summer. SO much work, and she did it all herself in our little kitchen. I was really to young to be around paring knives and hot boiling fruit, I guess... sometimes I'd be in charge of pulling the green crowns off, though.
@goodbuilder - I know!!! It is,and you have to time it just right too,so it thaws most of the way but you still have that chunk.
came here from the front page~ what a sweet story. makes me want something apply.
Yeah... Flashback... One summer in the 60's... My grandmother's old abandoned farm in western PA. where we all used to go for July 4th... Abandoned apple orchard... Apples... My dad made apple sauce and apple butter...
Very nice post! From start to finish!!!
This is lovely.
Such a beautiful story Beth, and a perfect ending too. Why is it that you say you can't write?
I remember that picture. I don't eat applesauce now because we had TOO much of it as a kid! In South Jersey where we lived there were HUGE peach and apple orchards. My grandmother had 2 brothers who worked on one so any leftover harvest was free to anyone who wanted to glean it. I peeled so many apples and peaches I would go to bed dreaming about it! To this day I don't like any kind of canned peaches or other canned fruits. I remember 5/8 baskets being plopped down in front of me and my sister and cousin and peeling and coring, trying to hurry so we could go play. I still like eating fresh apples, just not applesauce.
Now many orchards have been sold off to housing developers. About 5 years ago Larry and I were driving on a road and thought we made a wrong turn, as it was ALL developed and the orchards were gone!
Interesting how our senses can allow us to relive plesant memories. I took a walk down memory lane today when I visited
http://www.vpike.com/ and put in an address from my youth. it amazed me how completely satisfying an experience it was,althouga bit eerie
Very nice!
Very nice. It's always a good idea to have some applesauce handy.
That is so nice. Thank you for sharing. That's a great shot and a wonderful story to go with it! It sounds like you have a really nice and peaceful place!
I love it! Good to see you, Beth. Its been too long.
Beth, you not only have a gifted eye for photography, but you are gifted with the written word as well. I enjoyed reading this. perhaps when we are all dead and gone, people in the future will find your posts and use them to teach their children about one corner of life in America.
I love this!!! So nice to have your story with your picture. This is one of my favorite photographs of yours. I hope you play more : )
@MooncatBlue - I did the cemetery one too,I am thinking of a story for nelson's car.
We're huge homemade applesauce fans here. We have one of those old sinks sitting unused in our back shed. We'd love to use it, but our kitchen's just too small.
I would have done a heap of daydreaming standing over that sink with the apples. Good times