Category Archives: Life

Cherry Harvest

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It’s been over two months since my last post. I was at the point a few times in the last month where I stressed because I didn’t know what I’d say for my return post. It’s been too long, too much has happened, and I didn’t think I’d know where to begin when I posted again. But I’m just jumping in today and here is what I’ll say: I’ve been busy. And this blog has definitely fallen to the bottom of the priority list. I have lots of content for you, either in my head or carried out, but unedited. None of it has made it to this site, but I promise that I am slowly, slowly, but surely trying to get some stuff out to you. 

I’ve been making a lot of food, but honestly, not for you, not for this site. The food I have been making has been out of necessity, not out of the desire and ability to share it here. I will get back to that point, because I want to. I’m not sure when, but hold tight.

So today, a farm post! A lot has happened around the farm since my last post, and I am fully enjoying getting to witness it all. The blossoms have turned to fruit. Right now, and for the past week, cherry harvest has been happening. Greg is fully immersed in the harvest, and with that has brought even longer hours for him and a decrease in sleep for both of us. Even so, I love it. I love what is happening and that I get to experience it in the way that I do.

Most of my photos today are of cherries on trees. I think they are beautiful and this is the first time in my life seeing something like it. For those interested in the actual harvesting, it was difficult to photograph the process because the equipment used is so massive. So I took a video! This is the first time I’ve put a video on my blog so I am pretty excited, even though it is not the greatest. Expect more in the future, especially with farm related things.

A few tidbits on harvesting cherries:

These are sour cherries. These are the cherries that are used to make canned pie filling and generally, other cherry desserts.

These cherries are being mechanically harvested. Some cherries on the farm are still handpicked, but these ones, that go to the factory to be processed, are done with this machine.

Here is my non-farmer, non-professional description of the process. The first time I saw the harvest equipment, before I knew what it was, I thought it was solar panels (ha!). There are two tractors, each with a massive solar panel looking attachment. When harvesting, each tractor takes a side of the tree and the two “panels” come together,  forming a V. One panel grabs the tree and shakes it. The cherries fall off the tree and into the V formed by the panels. The other tractor has a conveyor belt attached to it which takes the cherries up and over into a connecting bin (that contains ice water) which will get filled, taken to the factory and replaced.

Each bin holds approximately 1,000 pounds of cherries, which can take about 3-15 trees, depending on the tree size and crop. For the trees pictured below, it took about 3-5 trees to fill a bin, due to the fact that they are large, full production trees.

One of the coolest parts of the process to me was watching how quickly a tree turns from red to green while being shaken. In the video, it’s hard to tell how fast the tree is shaking, but pay attention to how quickly the tree changes color.

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Adams County, Spring 2015

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I’m going to keep the words brief today because there are many photos to follow. 

Greg took me for a drive around the farm on Sunday, which was a perfect spring day, the bluest sky there could be, and here is what I thought:

How lucky am I to be a part of this? How lucky am I to be here to look at this and to photograph this? How lucky am I to know that the very blossoms I am showing you today will produce fruit that will feed many, including myself? I hope that no matter how many springs I am in Adams county, I never stop realizing just how special this is. These trees aren’t here just to be pretty  (although they’re doing an excellent job at that, too) they are here to produce food, they are here to feed people. I love that.

{for the curious, you are seeing blossoms of peaches, apricots, cherries, pears and the very first photo is apples}
{Also, the day I took these photos, Sunday, was my parents 35th wedding anniversary. Happy anniversary Mom + Dad, love you very much, these photos are for you!}

Here is what I saw:

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Lexington

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Just a little
light,
that’s all I need,
just
a little sunlight
from you
and I promise
I
will grow.

-Tyler Knott Gregson, via Pinterest

2015. Two posts in two months. And neither a food post. I have four drafts just sitting, waiting for attention, but they just aren’t right. They are not what I want say or show or put out into the world. I keep reminding myself that 2014 was a slow start, too. The inspiration will flow. The sun will shine. Just wait for it.

In the meantime, I thought I’d share with you a few photos from our recent trip to Kentucky to visit great friends, Amanda and Abe. I’ve been wanting to do this trip for a long time, and the stars finally aligned for Greg and I to make the drive down, for what was my inaugural trip to the Bluegrass state.

We did many amazing things – toured an impressive distillery, stopped by a notable horse racing track, visited a special winery (the very winery where Amanda and Abe got engaged over two years ago!), had many scrumptious eats and drinks, relaxed, talked, and generally just enjoyed spending time with friends. I don’t have much to share visually and I am kind of regretful of that. I have only a few photos from the hike we took + a couple from the winery. {Note to self – when debating whether or not to take your camera, take it}. Winter in the woods of Kentucky doesn’t look much different from winter in the woods of Pennsylvania – gray, brown and truthfully, aesthetically dull + flat. You must hunt for the color, for the beauty. It’s there though, and I did try to capture it on our hike. Also, thank you to Amanda + Abe for being such wonderful hosts – we can’t wait to visit again!

Here’s to inspiration + sunlight. In real life and in blog life. Not rushing, but hoping that they’re just around the bend.

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Deep Creek Getaway

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My family + friends went on a little getaway to Deep Creek, Maryland just before Christmas, to celebrate my Dad’s 60th birthday. I didn’t take many photos (kind of wish I had taken more!) but I’ll share with you what I do have. We loved Deep Creek and I, for one, can’t wait to go back. Most of the photos are from a hike we took at Swallow Falls State Park, on a pleasantly warm but still beautifully icy morning.

Also, I intend to do a new year/reflection on 2014 post, like the one I did last year, but I’m still working on it :). Hopefully I’ll be back with that soon!

Enjoy the photos, and happy new year!

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Apple Crisp

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I cried after my last farmers market of the year.

There was a local arts + crafts show occurring after market, and I wanted to wait around for it to start. It would start 30 minutes after we were done cleaning up, which seemed like forever after already being out in the cold Philly air for six hours that day. I sat in the car and cried. And I thought about it. I thought I was crying because of the seemingly long wait to check out arts + crafts (dramatic, much?). But I wasn’t. I was crying because I didn’t want market to end. I didn’t want to get into the car and go home. That would just mean that I’d have to admit that it was over.

While reminiscing with Greg recently, I told him that I’d never forget the very first time I got to work market. It was just over two years ago. I was still at IUP, finishing my bachelor’s and Greg was living in Philly, just beginning his time at Drexel. It was a Saturday, and I was sitting on the bed in his tiny studio apartment. He was sitting at his desk when he turned to me and said, nonchalantly, “We are good to work market tomorrow.” I freaked out. I had always loved farmers markets and for me, it was a dream to work at one. I get to work at one TOMORROW?? And for his family’s farm?! Dream. Come. True. The next day, I geared up with a light green Three Springs tee shirt, traveled to market, and loved every second of it. 

That was September 2012. Then, until May of 2013, I worked market when I was in Philly, visiting Greg on weekends – and yes, that is how I wanted to spend my Sundays visiting. May 2013 – present, I’ve worked market every Sunday that Greg and I have been home in Philly – which has been most.

This past Sunday was the last market that I will have worked as a Philly resident. The last Saturday that I made sure to be in my Queen Street apartment bed early, to be refreshed for market Sunday. The last Sunday morning that I took my breakfast to go, to eat in the car while taking in the Philly skyline on the drive to market. The last Sunday we searched for a parking spot along Pine Street. The last Sunday Greg and I came home with goodies from all of our favorite Headhouse vendors. To be honest, there won’t be many “lasts” in Philly that I am sad about, but all of these, are surely some of them.

Completely bittersweet.

I can honestly say that I’ve looked forward to working Sundays for the past 2 years. I’ve enjoyed every moment working at market for Three Springs Fruit Farm. All of this is thanks to Greg, and his family. Thank you Greg, thank you Three Springs and thank you Ben (Greg’s cousin), for giving me the opportunity to live out a dream. How a farmers market has made me so happy and particularly emotional, I do not know, but it surely has. In this new adventure that Greg and I are embarking on, I can hope that I find something that makes me as happy as market has here. 

Now, this recipe. I’ve had this apple crisp recipe and post sitting in my drafts for months. I couldn’t find the right words to pair with the post. But it’s time to share, and my recent emotions with my last market seem the right fit for a recipe featuring Three Springs apples.

I know that there are a lot of apple crisp recipes out there, and a lot of people are loyal to one, so I’ll tell you just a bit about mine.

Here’s what I love about my crisp recipe. The apples are just lightly sweetened, with no cinnamon – just 1 tablespoon of sugar in all of those apples, for a very natural apple taste. The apple skins are still on – a must for me. There’s no traditional white flour – instead I’m using almond flour which adds a great, nutty flavor (and for gluten free friends, is naturally gluten free). And butter, because sometimes it’s just necessary and it tastes so darn good in this. 

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

-Almond flour: I know that it is not a staple ingredient for most people, but it is for me and I love always having it on hand. It adds great taste and texture to baked goods. If you don’t keep almond flour on hand, consider it. In addition to today’s recipe, use it in these, these and this, too!

-Apples: Use any variety, don’t be particular. Admittedly, I am particular about many things in life, but which apples I bake with is not one of them. I’ve made this crisp many times and have used a mix of different apples each time – whatever I’ve had on hand. What you use will be good. Also, use local apples when possible!

-Arrowroot starch: This is what I have been using instead of cornstarch. Arrowroot is a natural and more nutritious option. Cornstarch can be substituted if desired, and although I have never made it with cornstarch, I feel fairly confident it would produce a similar end product.

–Penzeys vanilla sugar: I picked this up about a year ago and to be honest, this is the first time I’ve used it. I am in love with it for this recipe though and plan to keep stocked with it just for this. It’s just sugar mixed with vanilla beans (yum!). Plain, white sugar can be substituted, and, if you’re feeling fancy, throw in some vanilla beans with that sugar.

It’s been awhile since I’ve share a dessert recipe with you (or any recipe, for that matter!), and this is one that I feel especially good about. I hope that this crisp is enjoyed in every way by all who try it.

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Apple Crisp
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Ingredients
  1. 4-5 large apples, any variety
  2. 1 tablespoon Penzeys vanilla sugar (or plain, granulated sugar, see note in post)
  3. 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch (or cornstarch, see note in post)
  4. 2 cups rolled oats
  5. 1 cup almond flour
  6. 1/2 cup brown sugar
  7. 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  8. 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  9. 6 tablespoons cold butter
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350*.
  2. Rinse, dry and slice apples as thin as you can get them.
  3. In a large, but shallow baking dish, add apples, 1 tablespoon sugar and arrowroot starch. Mix gently to coat all apples.
  4. In a mixing bowl, add oats, almond flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well to combine.
  5. Cut butter into small cubes and add to the dry oat mixture. Using a pastry blender or your fingers (like me!), mix butter into the dry mixture to make the crisp. When done, the mixture will look like coarse crumbs and butter will be fully incorporated.
  6. Evenly distribute crisp mixture on top of the apples in the baking dish. Bake 45 - 60 minutes, or until apples are soft and crisp is slightly browned and crispy.
  7. Enjoy!
The Dreaming Foodie https://www.thedreamingfoodie.com/