It’s September . It is apple picking time and the scent of apple sauce cooking on the stove brings back a flood of memories of my parents’ little backyard orchard! The trees were planted when my dad’s retirement years began. It was a new hobby for him and he kept meticulous records about each tree …how much they grew, and how much fruit was produced year after year after year. Every September those less than perfect apples were harvested with great love. They were turned into apples sauce, apples pie, apple jelly, apple crisp and dried apple rings. We were given boxes of apples to take home to turn into our own apple sauce…a tradition we continue today !
As Dad grew old , so too the trees grew old. They were rather sad looking by then, producing less and less fruit, but still, we harvested the apples until the house was sold. How I miss the backyard orchard.
Last week we drove down to the Niagara area where fresh fruit and vegetables continue to grow abundantly on local farms . The scent of Niagara grapes is heavenly and the taste is like no other. My grandpa always grew Niagara grapes in his little backyard and as long as I can remember we ate them year after year , right off the vine! While in Niagara we stocked up on apples, peaches, grapes, plums and more! I have a greater appreciation now for this beautiful and fertile piece of Canada I grew up in. We passed fruit stand after fruit stand, local wineries and farms , as we headed towards Niagara-on-the-Lake . The flowers on the streets of this sweet little town are like nowhere else! It is a place where so many memories of family picnics make me smile. Now I know why mom always called it ´a little piece of heaven’ ! I am grateful for the memories. As the apple sauce bubbles on the stove I feel quite certain that our grandchildren will enjoy this family tradition as much as we do . Every year they ask us ‘are you making apple sauce yet? ‘
