Autumn weekend in the City

Picnic, apple picking and great company

On Saturday, the 13th of October, I had an apple-picking party.  It was such a perfect day.  The group was great, the food was plentiful & the weather was perfect.  

Some of us  never even left the picnic blankets to pick apples. 

Rum & Bourbon gave the spiced cider (recipe below) a nice jolt to warm us up (and the wine helped too).

Notice, of 4 of the men, 3 are pointing in completely different directions as they decide which apple trees to pick from.

The trees were loaded with fruit.

It was such a fun way to spend a Saturday.  After returning from the countryside, we enjoyed a relaxing dinner at my apartment and enjoyed each others' company.  

Hot Apple Cider

from THIS website. 

Ingredients:

6 cups apple cider

1/4 cup real maple syrup

2 cinnamon sticks

6 whole cloves

6 whole allspice berries

1 orange peel, cut into strips

1 lemon peel, cut into strips

Directions:

1. Pour the apple cider and maple syrup into a large stainless steel saucepan.

2. Place the cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries, orange peel and lemon peel in the center of a washed square of cheesecloth; fold up the sides of the cheesecloth to enclose the bundle, then tie it up with a length of kitchen string. Drop the spice bundle into the cider mixture.

3. Place the saucepan over moderate heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cider is very hot but not boiling.

4. Remove the cider from the heat. Discard the spice bundle. Ladle the cider into big cups or mugs, adding a fresh cinnamon stick to each serving if desired.