- The Orchard Escapade

Dear Fans of Hounds Who Cook,

We've been on an apple orchard escapade all day. First of all, the back roads of Wisconsin are quite lovely just now. We think some of the trees are at their colorful peak. Secondly, it's not actually as fun as it sounds going to orchards as we dogs have to stay in the car. Even at the pick-your-own establishments. They said something about us bringing E-coli. I did not bring him and I'm sure my brother Elias did not, so we should have been allowed in the orchard. But when we saw the great volume of apples the girl Me brought back to the car we knew our little dog packs couldn't have carried it all anyway. We would be happy to pull a wagon for her, but she has not devised a harness system for us as of yet (or bought a wagon, for that matter).

So, we were going to make Apple Cider Vinegar especially for my skin, I being Guthrie. But we have to start with Raw cider and no one will sell Raw cider because someone (not us) brought E-coli to an orchard and he apparently ruined a batch of Raw cider. (You can be assured that if we dogs meet this E-coli, it will be the end of him. He sounds like a bad apple and surely could not be of a dog or wolf species. Probably a cat or bird, that's what we surmise.)

We noticed that the orchards were run by elders without any strapping young ones around. The first one said it's hard to find strapping youth who know how to work. The second one said they come for 4 hours one day and don't show up for three days. He said he never hears from his son but his daughter comes by to help once in a great while. It was a sad matter as Me listened to him. At both orchards the elders said they had health problems early in the year that kept them from keeping the places up or doing their usual business. So Me wondered if the family orchard scenario is going by the wayside in a few years due to a lack of interest from the next generation. Me was troubled by it all and decided not to try to bargain about the apple seconds she was buying to try to make her own cider. What was $20? He offered to teach her how to prune apple trees if she wanted to come back in a few weeks. She might. He will probably make us stay home though, as they are sure we know E-coli, even though we don't.

Then, after 2 bushels + 1 peck of apples were purchased at various orchards, for us to attempt our own cider pressing, then she learned of a plan. There is an orchard where you take your own bottle. When Bill presses his apples he fills your bottle and calls you to come and get it. In that way, you have your own raw cider and can make your hard cider or vinegar or wine or what have you. So we are cleaning out jugs for Bill and will take them to him later in the week. We are excited to finally get to make our own cider. You'll be fully apprised of the whole process when it happens.

In honor of All of the apples filling the garage with their sultry fragrance just now, we will next post one of our most favorite apple recipes. We just have to decide what it is.

Love and the usual adoration,

Guthrie for the Hounds Who Cook