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(Cd) - Fall Harvest in Hagerstown
"To the side of our house there was a large cultivated plot with rich topsoil 12-16 inches deep. We were simply exhausted as we picked, cleaned, and "put up" fruit and veggies almost daily during the growing season. We were actually happy to see the first freeze end those endeavors. I was a stay-at-home Mom during those years, and had great fun playing with the boys in that beautiful bucolic setting. We frequently went into our vegetable patch and collected the produce for the evening meal.
Another Harvest related activity:
Because this was a rural Midwest community, the townsfolk wanted to give these transplanted Texans a taste of their traditions. One family that had an apple orchard invited us out to their place one Sunday afternoon when they were going to press cider. They took us out into the orchard in a horse drawn wooden wagon and gave us a brief lesson on the culture and harvesting of apples. Then we went to the area where the ancient wooden presses were working. The sounds and smells were incredible.
To our amazement they dumped the bushel baskets of apples into the press with leaves, stems, and debris intact. No washing involved in this process! The mother hen of the Davis brood could imagine the bugs and worms that also were hiding in and amongst the apples. But all was pressed and the murky juice emerged, some was poured into pitchers, and we were invited to drink. We did! It was delicious! And we survived... with a wonderful experience to add to our family lore.
These are treasured memories."