Apparently, yesterday (Jan. 17) was a traditional date for wassailing the fruit trees.
I missed it again.
I don't know what is magical about that particular date, so do your wassailing whenever it suits... but in winter.
For those of you not familiar with this tradition, wassailing the fruit trees means having a party and parading through the orchard, banging drums, pots and pans, cymbals or making any other kind of raucous noise, presumably to scare away evil spirits that might harm the trees. Or maybe it's to wake up the trees. It's not clear. Then you select the main tree, or the most productive one and pour hard cider (preferably made from the recent harvest) on its roots, blessing it. You and your entourage must have cider, too. In some traditions the poorest tree would be threatened if it didn't shape up. I'd prefer to give it kind words and extra fertilizer. Sometimes toast is hung from the tree branches. I don't know why toast. It's just a thing that's done. Whatever, whenever, make it a party... even if it's just for you and the trees. Have fun. Hug the trees.
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| The prettiest apples from this past year's crop. |
It seems more than coincidental that wassailing falls in the midst of pruning season for apple trees. A couple of weeks ago we spent about a week pruning ours, one tree a day. We've still got a couple more to do, but that needs to wait until some more urgent projects are taken care of -- like cutting firewood for next winter. We've got until March to finish the pruning. Other fruit trees are pruned at a different time of year.
Pruning goes much easier when two people are working on the same tree. One of us pruned from the ground, while the other climbed onto the ladder. When one of us was uncertain about whether to make a cut here or there, we had a second opinion readily available.
Our homegrown apples are all gone, except for those I made into apple butter. Apple butter is very simple to make, especially with a slow cooker. I used my 5-quart slow cooker, but any size will work, depending on how many apples you have.
The most time-consuming part for you is cutting up the apples -- especially when they are as dinged up and chewed up as ours were. Slice, core and chop the apples, no need to peel. Fill the slow cooker to slightly mounded, but so the lid will stay on. Add seasonings, if you wish. I added a teaspoon or two of cinnamon to my recent batch, but I don't always add spices. Our apples were a little on the dry side, so I added about a cup of apple juice. However, I have made apple butter without the apple juice. Turn the slow cooker on high for about an hour or so, until you see the apples begin to cook down, then turn to low. Then leave them be, except for an occasional stir, for eight or 12 hours, until it's as thick as you want it. At some point, you'll want to crack the lid to allow moisture to escape. That will allow it to become really thick.
I canned this year's batch of apple butter, but I often just put it in small jars and freeze it. Canning it requires the addition of lemon juice (but, oops, I forgot it) and the extra steps of processing. Fortunately, it can be processed in a boiling water bath.
Another way we use a lot of apples, besides fresh eating, it to bake them, freeze them, and use them in cobblers and crumbles (we haven't discovered a way to may a serviceable pie crust, or there would be pie, too). After baking the apples, we put them in the pans in which we'll bake the cobblers and freeze. We release them from the pan by setting it in a little hot water and turning it upside down on a cookie sheet. We the stick it in the freezer to harden the slightly thawed bottom, then wrap in waxed paper and stick them in a plastic bag in the freezer.
Then we can put together a cobbler or crumble at short notice, by taking out the formed apples and setting them in a baking pan. (BTW, they are really tasty when still frozen.) It doesn't take long for it to thaw enough to add the topping and bake. Please feel free to adjust seasonings and such in the following recipe to suit your taste.
Approximately 4 quarts of cut up apples
½ cup brandy, apple juice, or water
1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
1 heaping teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
2 comments:
Well, I haven't heard of wassailing this way--I always thought it was going around town drinking wassail and singing carols. But I love the idea of partying with your trees. Ours aren't big enough yet, but I do look at every single tree in our orchard at least several times a week. The sheep are in the back pasture, and that requires walking out through the orchard. I go along a different row each time. I can't imagine hanging toast. Maybe some little woven stars, though.
Great ideas about freezing crisps and cobblers. We have a giant freezer now, and so finally have room.
--Theresa
The going from door to door caroling and getting served food and strong drink also is a Christmas tradition, that has some strange history to it. It is confusing that both traditions have been given the same name.
The woven stars sound like a much better tradition, and prettier, than toast.
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