JoAnne's Archive

Calling All Cooks!
by JoAnne Leone

Growing up in the foothills of the Alleghany Mountains, smack in between Erie PA and Buffalo NY, we celebrated apple and Concord grape harvest every year. The kids would get out to the orchards and take part in the apple butter making festivities. The men would set a bonfire of apple wood and above it place an enormous copper pot. The apple butter would be stirred with an oar-like paddle for hours. The women would be back at the house readying up the apples for baking, applesauce and that delicious butter. Those that loved being in the vineyard, would pick grapes, an art I never mastered (nor did I care to). Eventually, we’d all gather at the farmhouse and take part in a potluck dinner that was a contest in itself, to see which cook could out do each other that year.

My Aunt Betty was the world’s fastest apple pie maker. I don’t know that she was honored officially with that record – but I can tell you that I’d bet anyone who challenged it. She looked at a canister of flour and a half dozen or so apples, and like Samantha Stevens, she wiggled her nose and, presto! There was a mouth watering baked pie coming out of the oven that the most talented photographer could have captured its true beauty. The balance of spices, the flaky crust, and the apples cooked just perfect and the same amount of buttery juice produced in every pie….. what a wonderful, delectable piece of nostalgia I reflect on.

So, who thinks they can out bake my Aunt Betty? Or maybe you create an apple stuffing for a crown pork roast that has been around a few generations. Do you make the world’s greatest apple dumpling? If you know your way around an apple, then enter our Apple Recipe Contest this Saturday Oct 8 th at the Farmers Market. The Grand Prize winner will have their article featured in Georgia Magazine next fall. Runner-ups will receive ribbons.

It’s easy to enter. Bring your prepared dish containing apple in some part of the recipe to the Market between 7am and 10am that Saturday. When entering, include the recipe, (Name of the dish, the ingredient list, and the number it serves and detailed directions. Also include your name and phone number). Our judges will start tasting, reviewing the recipes and they will be announcing the winners at noon. In the meantime, we will be having fun with a dough rolling contest. Yes, we encourage you to come out and compete. We’ll have the dough and the rolling pins – but if you have a special tool you like to use – you can compete with it! There will be apple toss for the kids throughout the day. We are having our first Apple Festival this Saturday at the Farmers Market from 7am-1pm. We hope you’ll grab the kids, the grandparents and come by for all the good old fashion fun. For details call 706-781-3306. See you Saturday morning!