Zentangle, Mixed Media and Apple Picking in New England

I just got home from spending a glorious 2 weeks in New England.

  My husband and I moved to Bolton, Massachusetts in 2001. Neither of us had ever lived in a cold climate like that, what a change from Southern California!  After 14 years of shoveling snow my husband finally cried "uncle" and we moved to the warmer weather of South Carolina 2 years ago.

We made friends in Mass. that are more like family than anything.  One young couple has been like our own kids for many years and their daughter calls us Nene and Papa.  At nine Lanie is still trying to figure out who we are.  (lol)  They needed a babysitter for 2 weeks so off we went.  September is my favorite month in N.E., no complaints here.

The two weeks were filled with playing mommy, fixing school lunches, bus drop off and pick ups, laundry, cooking, blah blah blah.  I did manage to visit tons of old friends, go to see the Phantom of the Opera at the Boston Opera House, teach two Zentangle classes and also teach a little Mixed Media in my spare time.  Oh, and apple picking!  Apple picking just means pie baking to me, with the freshest, most delicious apples in the world.  Last year I kept moaning about the apples here not tasting as good so a friend in Mass. went out, picked apples, filled a box and shipped them to me.  You would've thought someone gave me a box of diamonds!  I made 5 pies and froze most of them for later.  That should give you an indication of the nature of the folks there, they are as sweet as their apples.

I wanted to give you a little background story before sharing these photos.  The awesomeness of Zentangle, my Mixed Media portrait technique conquered by another 12 year old newbie, and the beautiful countryside of Massachusetts showcasing the apples from my old stomping grounds.

Drawing faces with a Jane Davenport stencil and Distress Crayons

With this technique I can teach anyone to draw a face they're delighted with

Taking an hour walk through the countryside, the leaves haven't changed yet

My favorite place to pick apples

When you buy your bag you get a map of the orchard telling you which apples are which, go to the flag to pick designated trees marked with ribbons

This is a nice one!

These were delicious too

A close up showing the beauty of apples!

This bag doesn't look like much but it is a 1/2 bushel bag (translation 20 or more pounds of apples) that I paid $35.00 for and then filled with a variety of apples.  My friend, Lisa, and I spent about 2 hours picking apples in 90 degree weather.  It was unusually warm in Mass. for September.  I was expecting cooler temps. It took both of us to carry the bag back to the car.  No matter, I went back to the house and baked a couple of beautiful pies.  I shipped the rest of the apples home to myself, let's hope they are not applesauce by the time they arrive.

I did manage to teach two Zentangle sessions.  One was at a Montessori type school with children ranging in ages from 5 to 15.  I didn't expect much interest but ended up with 15 students.  The teacher said in 5 years he'd never heard a silence like that

 for such a long period of time.  The second class was a mommy and me type class, here's a sample of that group's work.  I believe the 4 year old's tile is the one in the center.  Not bad for a bunch of newbies!  This was the first time for most of them to do Zentangle.  It's hard to believe that everyone is doing the same pattern at the same time and yet the results are so different.

It was a delightful visit for all of us.  I think Lanie was happy to have just mommy and daddy with her after those strict "pretend" grandparents finally left.  I must admit I forgot how hard it is to raise children.  The tight scheduling, baths, hair washing, homework, etc. keeps one so busy there is barely time for much else.  I'm happy to be home and back in my studio.  Just hoping those apples get here intact tomorrow.  

Thanks for stopping by!

hugs,

Nene

(I mean

Renee)

P.S.  Just a side note, I have an apple pie recipe on the blog a few years back if you need a recipe for pie dough and apple filling, you might want to try it, it is easy and good.

Bolton Common Apple Picking Article

The Mixing Bowl by Renee Zarate

Apple picking time is here!  We have some friends that have an apple picking party every fall.  To begin the party we all meet at the orchard and pick the apples.  When we’re finished picking we go to our friend’s home and enjoy a fantastic bon fire, roast hot dogs and then go in the house when it gets chilly for coffee and some sort of baked apple treat.  If you like apple strudel you will probably enjoy this dessert.  Part of it can be prepared the day before and then you can finish it up in just a few minutes after dinner.  It is light and crunchy with just a little sweetness.  You have several options when serving this.  You can leave it plain, sprinkle powdered sugar over it, add a topping of whipped cream or a little ice cream on the side. 

 Apple Harvest Cups

(Makes 24 mini-tarts)

Ingredients

One box of Athens phyllo/fillo dough or pastry sheets (you will only need to defrost ½ of the box).  Follow the directions on the box to thaw the phyllo.

One stick of unsalted butter, melted

½ cup of cornflakes, crushed finely and mixed with

½ teaspoon of cinnamon

4 apples, chopped coarsely

1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

The zest of one lemon, finely grated

A pinch of salt

¼ cup of brown sugar

powdered sugar, whipped cream or ice cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare two muffin pans with cooking spray or butter.

On a piece of waxed paper or parchment, lay down one sheet of the phyllo, lightly paint with melted butter.  Sprinkle one teaspoon of the ground cornflakes mixed with cinnamon over the sheet of phyllo.  Repeat until you have 5 layers of the phyllo stacked.   Do not paint the last layer with butter yet.  Cut six four inch circles from the phyllo stack (don’t worry if they are not perfectly round).  Place the cut circle into the muffin cup, pressing firmly against the bottom and sides.  Paint butter on the top of each and tuck the edges in to make it fit into the cup.  Repeat the process 3 times to make 24 phyllo cups.  Bake in a preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.  Cool on a baking rack.  Remove from the muffin pans.  Set aside.  This part of the dessert can be done one day before serving.  Cover the phyllo cups with foil and leave at room temperature until ready to fill.

Filling:

Peel, core and chop 2 lbs of tart apples.  Put in a saucepan with nutmeg, cinnamon, lemon zest, salt and brown sugar.  Cook until the apples are soft.  Put warm filling into the phyllo cups, sift powdered sugar over strudels or serve with whipped cream or ice cream on the side.