A Snowy Halloween

I’ve lived in New England my entire life and what it takes outsiders a long time to realize is that Mother Nature is fickle.  She will decide to be a sunny, 70 degrees one day and then two days before Halloween, she will drop two feet of snow! This is no Halloween trick. Yesterday, parts of Massachusetts received two feet of snow and a lot of people will be without electricity for days.  

Luckily, I live near the coast and we only got 3 inches.  This might sound like a lot to somebody who lives further south, but here it’s like a quick rain storm. Our Halloween will go on as scheduled, even if we have to add on an extra layer under our costumes.  

My favorite part of Halloween is the caramel apples.  I look forward to them every year.  My sister and I were out a few weekends ago doing our weekly food shopping and we stopped by Mann’s Orchard in Methuen, MA.  They had homemade caramel apples that were melt in your mouth unbelievable.  The caramel was a thick, lustrous, sweet sensation and when paired up with that fresh tart apple taste, it was out of this world.  I wanted to immediately eat every one of them in that display case!  The trick is to make your own caramel.  The store bought, canned caramel never measures up to that fresh, homemade caramel taste.

 

I’m not a huge fan of Halloween candy. When you look at the options on the shelf, you realize it’s just the regular candy you buy year round but with a fun Halloween theme on its package.  Christmas has multi-flavored candy canes, Easter has jelly beans, and Valentine’s Day has cinnamon hearts that burn your tongue and make your mouth water.  

Halloween in the harvest season also means that pumpkin is available on every food and beverage menu.  Pumpkin coffee, martinis, muffins and donuts, are just a few delicious treats that are only out this time of year.  Pumpkin seeds on the other hand, are available year round in the grocery store or at Trader Joes.  I love the ones from Trader Joes because they are lightly salted, so it doesn’t taste like you’re chomping down on a salt lick.  If you wanted to really get in the spirit of Halloween you could buy a really large pumpkin, carve out the seeds, and roast them in your oven.  The smell of roasting pumpkin seeds fills the entire house.  My grandmother used to take the pumpkin innards and make a fresh puree which she would use in her famous pumpkin cookies.  The fall is not the fall without my grandmothers 12 dozen pumpkin cookie recipe.

Growing up I dressed up as a witch every year.  My family kept trying to get me to come up with something new, but I really liked putting on that pointy black hat and cackling at them. Now as an adult I do try to come up with something clever or at least interesting.  This year I went for comfortable! I’m dressing up as Dr. Meredith Grey from Grey’s Anatomy, which consists of hospital scrubs I bought at Walmart, sneakers, and I printed out a picture of Ellen Pompeo dressed as her Dr. Meredith Gray character to put on my work badge. I’m looking forward to spending my Halloween Monday in those comfortable scrubs and sneakers. 

 Sarah Jenkins

Foraging for Fall

Fall is the preamble to the harsh, cold winter season.  It is the time to prepare for the months ahead that render the landscape barren and stolid.  Like in a battle it is important to gather items that can survive the elements and ensure that you survive as well.  

My mum and I explored two roadside fruit and vegetable stands last Sunday afternoon.  The weather was in no way an indication that fall had arrived.  The sun beat down on our shoulders with intensity like that of a mid-August day.  The humidity in the air made our hair frizz and our sinus’ act up. Upon arrival at the first roadside stand we discovered a beautiful selection of chrysanthemums on display.  I favored the orange ones right away and my mum the white ones.  Mums, as they are affectionately called, are a hardy flower.  They have an internal clock that tells it when the day length is less than 15 hours.  In essence, it knows when the fall season starts, even if Mother Nature does not agree.  The beautiful flowers the mums produce are evidence that it is time to prepare for the harsh winter season ahead.  They symbolize the symmetry of the definition of hardy.  Hardy is described as being “robust, courageous, and brazenly daring…and capable of surviving unfavorable conditions.”  This is the very thing to celebrate and forage in the harvest season. It is also a beautiful reminder that in nature as well as in ourselves there is a built-in system for survival.  In essence, we have what we need.

At the second roadside stand we found ripe and luscious mackintosh apples and other fresh vegetables that were thriving. These vegetables inspired me to make a delicious hardy lunch. When I arrived home I made my version of a ploughman’s lunch.  The ploughman’s lunch originated in Britain and is basically a lunch that a ploughman would take with him at the beginning of his day. It consisted of food that would sustain him until dinnertime.  The typical recipe calls for crusty bread, a variety of cheeses, salty meats such as ham, celery, carrots, apples, a hardboiled egg, and a jar of chutney or jam.

I put together my favorite version of a ploughman’s lunch with what I had on hand in my refrigerator.

Jenkins’ Ploughman’s Lunch

Serving Size: 1

2 Celery stocks, cut on a bias

1 carrot, peeled and cut on a bias

1 mackintosh apple, chopped

4 pieces of whole wheat melba toast

4 pieces of sharp cheddar cheese

Take all ingredients and assemble on a plate.  Served traditionally with beer.

 Sarah Jenkins

Falling for Fall...

For me the end of August means only one thing, the beginning of fall. This season fills me with inspiration. As soon as I see back packs and school supplies I know fall is around the corner. 

The best part of fall for me is the food, mainly apples and pumpkins.  I went to Mann Orchard in Methuen, MA today with my sister and we bought a bushel of apples and fresh lettuce. Seeing the fresh produce sparks the foodie passion in me and I cannot deny myself the opportunity to utilize that spark. 

The crisp cooler air is a loving invitation for me to make my fall favorites: homemade spaghetti sauce, spicy three bean chili, and fresh tomato soup.  The hearty warm meals are very comforting. Even though I know winter will soon be on its way and along with it the busy holiday months, I relish the cool, calm air of the fall.  Excitement mounts at the thought of pulling out my corduroy jacket and boots. I fill my shopping cart up with caramel apples and decorate my apartment with small pumpkins.  The orange gourds remind me of what is to come, baking my vava’s pumpkin cookies.  Every Thanksgiving and Christmas I take out the largest bowl I own to whip up twelve dozen pumpkin cookies with chocolate chips.

Now as I sip my pumpkin beer I am enjoying the cool night air along with two family members, Rupert and Nala, the cats.  I smell my homemade spaghetti sauce cooking on my stove and feel a yearning to grab the Harry Potter book I am reading. And with that thought I bid you adieu, so that I might enjoy this beautiful fall night while it lasts.

Sarah Jenkins