making cider.

we had a fun evening last week.

We started with GOOD FRIENDS, chicken and dumplings, homemade bread, caramel apples and pumpkin muffins.

then, we headed over to Fritz' Farm.

to pick apples and make cider, in the dark.

it was heavenly.

as in, this is my dream life... that i just borrow for a few hours every now and then.

Fritz' wife is an antique collector.

dreamy.

they live in a re-furbished farm house on 37 acres.  they bought it years ago for $47,000. 

the farmhouse was so broken down that the bank wouldn't mortgage it... so, the previous owners just let them pay it off directly to them.

They were so kind to let us (4 parents and 14 kids-- our friends have 7 boys!) experience Fall on their farm.
Nice, nice people.

Mr. Fritz will told us how cider's done...  he's a pro.

Inside a room of Fritz' barn... dreamy i tell you.

First, you clear all the yucky apples off the ground and then you shake the tree till more apples fall.

you gather the apples and throw them in a big bathtub to wash...

 Then you put the apples in the cider press and turn the crank to grind them up.

You get a bucket full of ground up apples and cores and worms... yum!

You move that bucket full of apple stuff, to the other side of the cider mill for pressing.

Then you turn another crank and squeeze out all the juice.

The pressed apples give you a frothy juice.

In my brain, the frothy stuff is worm guts.

You just strain them off with cheese cloth and...

Mr. Fritz was telling us that "the only thing he really adds to his cider is, um, something that doesn't make it taste very good anyway"... i think he was talking about brandy.

Tah Dah!!  That is cider!!! 

Really, it is pure apple juice. 
I think it becomes "apple juice" after it is cooked.

Things change when it is cooked.

My apple cider tasted REAL.

Like milk, straight from a cow.

Which, by the way, is my next mission.

What a fun, fun night!! 

 i ended up leaving early with my little girls-- it was chilly.
 i try not to write all about my friends on my blog, in case they read it.
but, isn't this kid cute?  he just got his braces off!!

 he's a little old, but don't you think he'd be a cute pick for my anna??
{i totally believe in arranged marriages.}

 oh, i love fall!!

fall in oregon is dreamy!!

and delicious!  Wish i could share a cup with you...

End Note-- Anna came up to me this afternoon and said, "Mom, I read your blog."  I said, "Yeah..."  She said, "Mom... I read what you said about Joseph."  I smiled and she rolled her eyes.  She said, "He's way too old.  I can't believe you wrote that."  That was the first time that I have ever had a kid comment on something i'd written on my blog... so funny!