2nd Annual Apple Harvest Celebration
What started out as a gathering of people in my backyard, picking apples, juicing them to take home and turn into cider, and having a feast at the same time every October, was officially adopted last year by the Forest City Historical Association, and titled the Annual Apple Harvest Celebration. We introduced the apple dessert competition last year, and had a great (albeit small) celebration huddled inside the Dance Hall while the first raging rainstorm of winter hit.
This year got off to a more auspicious beginning, when my dear friend and neighbor Cheryl joined our FCHA Board of Directors and decided to plan the event. She invited a few local artists to display their work, began rehearsing to do her rendition of the Three Little Pigs, from the wolf's point of view (if you haven't heard this tale, find and read it), and we planned to sell an apple-themed lunch while people were pressing cider. Another Board member, Tim, picked up some of the best sausage available, from the Victor Company in Ione, and we featured chicken apple sausage, apple-cabbage cole slaw and (almost still warm) freshly made applesauce for lunch.
As we finished up our cooking preparations, and loaded things into our cars, Cheryl said "I just love a function, especially when it is so close to home", and I couldn't agree more. We really enjoy sharing our town and our apples each year. The turnout was more than double last year's, which was a relief to us, as it rained hard during the night, and was cool and cloudy.
This great antique machine is Cheryl's antique apple press, set to work crushing the multitude of antique apples growing in Forest City.
A group hard at work pressing the juice out; there is nothing that compares in taste to apple juice only minutes old!
After barbequeing up several dozen sausages, Cheryl solicited votes for her dessert, fried apple pie, while heating the oil to deep-fry these tasty little turnovers... Dolly rolls finished pies in powdered sugar for her.
Cheryl did garner the most votes, getting to pick her prize, with consolation prizes for the two other entrants. Then, some of us moved inside to enjoy the music, provided by Bill Slater, the District Archaeologist for the Yuba River Ranger District, which oversees the National Register Historic District we reside in... he never quit his day job, but is a fine and entertaining musician.
The stage is so tiny, that you could only fit one or two more people; I do have a historic photograph showing a quintet playing on this very stage in the late 1940s.
Lewis, we missed you, along with past participants Joel and Dee, and Bill B. Lewis maintains the most awesome website detailing his travels through ghost towns that I have ever come across, and although we have e-d back and forth, have never met. Come again soon, though.
We decided that this was such a fun event that we didn't want to wait till next harvest season to throw another party. Neighbors Tim, Dale, Cheryl and husband Dave all agreed that we would plan a Christmas dinner in the Dance Hall a week before Christmas, so I picked up two 20-pound frozen turkeys today and put them away in the freezer. Now, someone please tell me how long it will take to defrost a 20-pound turkey in the refrigerator so we have them ready when it comes time to cook?
Some of you may be wondering what happened to fall color photos... well, the leaves definitely are turning red and golden in and around Forest City, but I was too busy to go off and snap photos, and the light too low as I was heading down the hill to feed the braying burros in the evening. And, the leaves still haven't turned much here at the foothill home, so I will have to take photos as I cross Yuba Pass tomorrow to head to a meeting in Loyalton. In the high country, the aspens are a glorious golden color, and at the mid-elevations along the water courses, the maples and dogwoods are all hues of reds and golds.
No wonder these yarns appealed to me so much! This is my recent Elann order. I had to hand-wind the two Elsebeth Lavold angora skeins, one in pumpkin and the other in celery (thinking turkey dinner already, here), just so I could feel the lush fiber run through my fingers this morning. They will become baby booties to sell in the shop. The lighter shades are Peruvian Collection "Cuzco", a bulky alpaca boucle, and will become narrow scarves to sell.
I did get a chance to finish an object, and you will be able to see it in tomorrow's Product Review!
This year got off to a more auspicious beginning, when my dear friend and neighbor Cheryl joined our FCHA Board of Directors and decided to plan the event. She invited a few local artists to display their work, began rehearsing to do her rendition of the Three Little Pigs, from the wolf's point of view (if you haven't heard this tale, find and read it), and we planned to sell an apple-themed lunch while people were pressing cider. Another Board member, Tim, picked up some of the best sausage available, from the Victor Company in Ione, and we featured chicken apple sausage, apple-cabbage cole slaw and (almost still warm) freshly made applesauce for lunch.
As we finished up our cooking preparations, and loaded things into our cars, Cheryl said "I just love a function, especially when it is so close to home", and I couldn't agree more. We really enjoy sharing our town and our apples each year. The turnout was more than double last year's, which was a relief to us, as it rained hard during the night, and was cool and cloudy.
This great antique machine is Cheryl's antique apple press, set to work crushing the multitude of antique apples growing in Forest City.
A group hard at work pressing the juice out; there is nothing that compares in taste to apple juice only minutes old!
After barbequeing up several dozen sausages, Cheryl solicited votes for her dessert, fried apple pie, while heating the oil to deep-fry these tasty little turnovers... Dolly rolls finished pies in powdered sugar for her.
Cheryl did garner the most votes, getting to pick her prize, with consolation prizes for the two other entrants. Then, some of us moved inside to enjoy the music, provided by Bill Slater, the District Archaeologist for the Yuba River Ranger District, which oversees the National Register Historic District we reside in... he never quit his day job, but is a fine and entertaining musician.
The stage is so tiny, that you could only fit one or two more people; I do have a historic photograph showing a quintet playing on this very stage in the late 1940s.
Lewis, we missed you, along with past participants Joel and Dee, and Bill B. Lewis maintains the most awesome website detailing his travels through ghost towns that I have ever come across, and although we have e-d back and forth, have never met. Come again soon, though.
We decided that this was such a fun event that we didn't want to wait till next harvest season to throw another party. Neighbors Tim, Dale, Cheryl and husband Dave all agreed that we would plan a Christmas dinner in the Dance Hall a week before Christmas, so I picked up two 20-pound frozen turkeys today and put them away in the freezer. Now, someone please tell me how long it will take to defrost a 20-pound turkey in the refrigerator so we have them ready when it comes time to cook?
Some of you may be wondering what happened to fall color photos... well, the leaves definitely are turning red and golden in and around Forest City, but I was too busy to go off and snap photos, and the light too low as I was heading down the hill to feed the braying burros in the evening. And, the leaves still haven't turned much here at the foothill home, so I will have to take photos as I cross Yuba Pass tomorrow to head to a meeting in Loyalton. In the high country, the aspens are a glorious golden color, and at the mid-elevations along the water courses, the maples and dogwoods are all hues of reds and golds.
No wonder these yarns appealed to me so much! This is my recent Elann order. I had to hand-wind the two Elsebeth Lavold angora skeins, one in pumpkin and the other in celery (thinking turkey dinner already, here), just so I could feel the lush fiber run through my fingers this morning. They will become baby booties to sell in the shop. The lighter shades are Peruvian Collection "Cuzco", a bulky alpaca boucle, and will become narrow scarves to sell.
I did get a chance to finish an object, and you will be able to see it in tomorrow's Product Review!
posted by Birdsong | 6:34 PM
2 Comments:
This all looks so wonderful. I'm coming to live with you!! :)
You live in the quintessential, perfect small town. What a wonderful community. Would Cheryl like to share her recipe for fried apple pies? They sound yummy.
The last time I thawed a turkey that big, it took at least 3 days.
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