Fall: A Delicious Season

As you bite through the firm flesh of the red-and-green orb the sweetness of its juices explodes in your mouth. They run down your chin, and you absently wipe them away as you sink into a moment of euphoria. If you're anything like me, your face wrinkles as the sour and tangy aftertaste tingles the back of your cheeks, but you can't wait to experience the feeling all over again. Others around you chat merrily, laughing as they Almost anything baked with apples is easy and requires very few ingredients.go about this annual ritual that welcomes fall and celebrates the bounty of the hot summer months. It's time for apple picking.

With the cold, snowy months on the horizon, there is nothing better than participating in one final event that helps ease us into fall and reminds us that yes, there is a reason for the end of summer. That reason is apple pie, apple crisp, applesauce, and a new favourite: apple chips.

Almost anything baked with apples is easy and requires very few ingredients. The staples for apple pie, apple crisp, and even apple cider are apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon. You can add other flavour-enhancing spices such as cloves and nutmeg, but they aren't necessary. When selecting an apple, Empire, with its sweet flesh and good baking characteristics is highly recommended for desserts and cider, but the tart and tangy flavour of the Macintosh satisfies my pallet just as well. Precooking your apples on the stove will allow you to control the firmness of your filling and will give you one last chance to tweak your desired sweetness. Crumble and pie shells can be purchased ready-to-use. After years of experimenting with the 'ready-made' options, Tenderflake® gets this non-baker's vote as easiest to work with.

There are many orchards in the surrounding Ottawa area. Most are a thirty-minute ride through splendid backcountry that for this snap-happy passenger usually takes twice as long due to the endless picture opportunities along the way. The season runs from early September to late October with Lobo and Macintoshes up first, followed by hybrid varieties like Empire, Cortland and Spartan (which have been crossbred with our The world slows down as we indulge in the perfection of Mother Nature's labour.very own Macintosh). A hardier variation of the Golden Delicious called Honeygold is also available later in the season, but the intrigued patron should check their local orchard because not every orchard grows it.

As we bask in the weakening rays of sunshine, we remember why we come back every year: It is a simple yet encompassing experience that brings us back to the basic, satisfying sense of being. From standing up on that triangular ladder to smelling the sweet aroma of cinnamon and baked fruit, urban warrior transforms back into rural peasant and for one fleeting moment the world slows down as we indulge in the perfection of Mother Nature's labour. So eat up, and let's raise a glass of mulled cider to this season we call fall. It really is a delicious season.

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