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Après apple picking recipes by Briana Bizier

Now that it’s finally starting to feel like fall, what better way to celebrate the season than going apple picking in one of our local orchards?

My husband and I recently took our little assistants, ages four and eight, apple picking at an orchard near our house, and I’m happy to say that visiting an orchard is one of the most kid-friendly outdoor activities we’ve discovered. Our children loved exploring the fields. The four-year-old was especially delighted to find apples growing on trees!

“Usually, apples are in the store,” he told us about fifty times.

Apple picking was so thrilling that, between racing up and down the orchard and picking every apple they could reach, our assistants filled a massive bag in roughly the time it takes to say, “I think that’s enough apples for now, children.”

It took the promise of apple cider doughnuts to lure our children away from the rows of apple trees. Even then, we drove home with a trunk full of apples, a bag of apple cider doughnuts, and two very happy children.

If you’re planning a similar apple picking adventure, here are two delicious, kid-friendly recipes to help you use up all of those apples.

Three Step Skillet Apple Crisp

Because this recipe uses oatmeal, I consider it an acceptable breakfast.

Topping: 3/4 cups flour; 3/4 cups finely chopped pecans; 3/4 cups oats; 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed); 1/4 cup white sugar; 1/2 tsp. cinnamon; 1/2 tsp. salt; 1 stick of butter (melted)

Mix the topping ingredient together until mixture is crumbly. Set aside.

Filling: 3 pounds of apples (about 7 or 8 large apples), sliced and cut into wedges; 1/4 cup sugar; 1/4 tsp. cinnamon; 1 cup apple cider; 2 tsp. lemon juice; 2 tbs. butter

Preheat oven to 450. Toss the apples with the sugar and cinnamon.

Step One: Simmer the cup of cider in a 12-inch oven safe skillet for about five minutes. Transfer the concentrated cider to a bowl and add the lemon juice.

Step Two: Melt the butter in the now-empty skillet. Add the apples and cook, stirring frequently, until the apples soften. Stir in the apple cider/lemon juice mixture.

Step Three: Sprinkle the topping over the cooked apples. Place the skillet in the oven and bake until the apples are tender and the topping is golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Enjoy with some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Apple Muffins

The streusel topping on these muffins is optional, but it does make for an irresistible muffin.

Streusel Topping: 1/2 cup sugar; 1/3 cup flour; 1 tsp. cinnamon; 1/4 cup cold butter

Combine the sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with your hands or a pastry blender until it forms coarse crumbs.

Preheat oven to 425.

Muffins: 1 3/4 cups flour; 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder; 1/2 tsp. salt; 1/2 tsp. cinnamon; 1/3 cup butter (melted); 2/3 cup brown sugar; 1 egg; 3/4 cup milk; 1 or 2 finely chopped apples

Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Set aside. In a smaller bowl, whisk the melted butter and brown sugar. Add the egg and the milk. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and add the apples. Top with streusel.

Bake the muffins at 425 for 5 minutes. Keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the temperature to 375 and bake for an additional 12-13 minutes.

Enjoy!

Curb shopping like a pro by Joyce Godsey

I confess to being one of those folks who stop and check out curb furniture. When I bought a very, very, small house and none of the furniture I already owned would fit inside, I just left most of it behind and started all over. 

If you are open to it, the universe will suddenly throw a lot of choices in your path, not just from thrift stores but free things such as curb rescues will suddenly appear everywhere. I had to make some 'rules' about what I absolutely needed and what I am allowed to drag home.

Here are my rules of thumb for curb shopping.

Keep a list of what you are actually looking for. Just because it's on the curb doesn't mean you need to take it home, unless you are rehabbing items for resale or donation to those in need. If you don't need it, leave it for someone else who may. This isn't just good karma, it is very easy to end up with a lot of collected items and no homes for them. If I pick up something for someone else, I don't even remove it from the car, I take it straight to their house as soon as I can.

Make a thorough examination on the spot. Unless there is dangerous oncoming traffic, take a good look at the piece, open it up, flip it over, check its sturdiness. Most of the time it will need some repair, otherwise it wouldn't be on the curb. But know what you are getting into before you make a commitment to it. Look for infestation or mildew - take a sniff. Watch out for water damage. Check the bottom. Standing water will make plywood and fiberboard swell and break down and hardwood will warp.

Be prepared to dispose of it properly.  Which means don't drag home something that you are going to have to pay to get rid of. You may discover it's bigger than you thought, or it has unseen problems. If it is still a useable item, you can donate it. If it is not, you may have to haul it to the dump.   Once I dragged a leather chair home only to discover it was the 'dog chair’.

Have a suitable place to rehab things.  In good weather, you can just do it outside before you bring it into your home. Sanding and painting are projects you do not want to do in the living room. With large enough drop cloths, you can get away with it in a larger kitchen, but spray painting should not be done in living spaces.

Hoard hardware like a crazy person.  Any time you see something actually in the trash or before you put something out for collection, strip it of hinges, handles, knobs, casters and gliders from the bottoms of the feet. Usually just a change of hardware and a coat of paint can transform a piece and give it another career.

Keep a basic collection of paints, primers and finishes at hand.  You may not want to invest a lot of time and effort into renewing a piece, if you have to buy materials. But if you have stuff already purchased then it's an easy decision.  It will also help keep you from putting a piece aside for rehabilitation “when I get around to it.”

Be prepared to undo other people's repairs. This may sometimes be worse than starting with a damaged item. Usually it's a brush coat of latex that needs to be sanded, or a sloppy glue repair. This item probably started in the house and worked its way down to the basement and then probably out to the garage before getting all the way out to the curb. 

I am always looking for solid wood juvenile furniture, which is smaller than full sized and usually repairable.

I just adopted another small curb item. It is just a 20^th century, hardwood department store bureau. But age and moisture had caused the plywood back to break down. For me that was an easy fix, as nearly anything can be used for the back, I just happened to have a bundle of cheap pine wainscoting, which I cut to fit and used a plastic mallet to assemble. I didn't even have to glue but I may throw a brad or two around the edges.

My personal aesthetic is to paint all my mismatched pieces with White Gloss paint. This helps unify them in my cluttered tiny house and makes them easy to wipe down and touch up when needed. 

For this project I sanded down someone else’s paint job, and since it was meant to be painted, there was no reason to strip it. Pieces originally sold painted, look terrible when you strip them, as the wood grains never match. 

Two cans of Rustoleum paint with primer should cover most things up on a large bureau. I keep an assortment in my work space. I generally lay on one light spray coat, a second thicker coat, then a light sand with 1200 grit before a final gloss coat or two. Sometimes, if the piece isn't that bad you can get away with just washing the paint job it already has. The new paint job dried pretty quick, letting me move it into place on the same day. The top is smooth and white, but I have cats, so I threw a piece of oak salvaged from a sewing machine on top to protect it.  The temporary handles are making my teeth grate; I prefer vintage bin pulls, which I also paint with white enamel and then bake for hardness.

With minimal investment, curb found furniture can give you pieces to use until you find something you really love. No one needs to know you got it off a curb unless you tell them. Me? I tell everybody. With a house as small as mine, sometimes you must make do. I put this bookcase on top of this half size dresser to create a make shift hutch, which works perfectly for my purposes. I have only seen one vintage half sized hutch...and that one is now in my kitchen. Overall, I am pretty happy with the pieces I have collected for this new tiny house - and anything that didn't work out, I put on my own curb for someone else.

Funds raised are donated to the new Skate Park in Windham

Stephanie Ryan, owner of The Ice Cream Dug Out, presents a check for $340 to Linda Brooks, Director of the Windham Parks and Recreation Department after a fund raiser for the Be the Influence Coalition. Be the Influence donated the funds to go toward the new Skate Park planned in Windham.

TRIAD offers opportunities for seniors to get involved in their community by Matt Pascarella

The Gorham/Westbrook/Windham TRIAD is made up of law enforcement, local businesses and seniors. Their mission is to reduce victimization of seniors through education and communication as well as improve their quality of life. Two individuals involved in the TRIAD are board secretary, Buffy Houp, and Chief Kevin Schofield of the Windham Police Department.

A field trip to the Military Museum in South Portland

Each month, a meeting is held featuring an educational speaker discussing different topics. One such topic is fraud awareness. Chief Schofield said this has been an issue that local law enforcement sees often, and he states that this is one of the various scams in which to promote awareness.

One program offered through the TRIAD is ‘Sand for Seniors’ to prepare for the winter months. Sand buckets are delivered by police offers to seniors for use on their porches and driveways.

“’Sand for Seniors’ is another way [police officers] can integrate ourselves into the community and meet people one-on-one. This is a year-round relationship we can provide to our seniors,” remarks Chief Schofield.

Another program that Chief Schofield, Houp and TRIAD members are trying to create is the ‘Rise and Shine’ program. This effort checks in on seniors who may not have a lot of local support; placing a call each day to a particular senior to see how they are doing and if they need anything makes a big difference.

While the TRIAD does provide a lot of education and important information, one of the more important aspects of being a TRIAD member is socialization and meeting community members.

“Everyone has a voice in the TRIAD. Being a part of the program means being part of the community. We do different events, like pancake breakfasts and field trips. The TRIAD is always looking to do more. The social aspect is just as important as the educational aspect; just come to a meeting,” commented Houp.

The TRIAD is a perfect organization where seniors can meet people and contribute to their community, have a good time, learn more about police and fire departments, EMTs and other community and TRIAD members. It can become much more than just a monthly meeting.

Upcoming meetings to look forward to include:

Oct 12th at the Westbrook Police Department – Safe Driving with Heather

Shields of Pathways Rehabilitation Services

Nov 9th at the Windham Police Department – Safety at Home with Angela

D’Amours of The Cedars

Dec 14th at the Gorham PD – Downsizing and Decluttering with Mary Holmes of Integrated Move Management

If there is a senior citizen interested in joining the TRIAD, please contact Chief Kevin Schofield (892-2525) or Buffy Houp (229-9050)

Eagle Scout project benefits Presumpscot River

Aiden Day

When Aiden Day of Windham chose his Eagle Scout Project, he reached beyond the necessary requirement that it must benefit his community and added a substantial component to help the environment.

As his final requirement to the Eagle Rank, in coordination with property owner Sappi, Day completed his Eagle Scout Project to benefit the Presumpscot River in the Town of Windham. Day had spent time as a child at the popular spot and he noticed that over the years the picnic table rotted into the ground. Runoff had also eroded the down-hill path from the parking lot to the river, which caused sand to wash into the river and harm the habitat. Day designed and built a new picnic area comprising two extra-large tables of white oak to allow room for those wearing waders and added erosion control along the path to the river.

Day, of Troop 51 in Windham, recently achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank in Boy Scouts, which is earned by fewer than six percent of all Boy Scouts in the United States. This accomplishment represents the culmination of Day’s ten-year journey in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts.

As an Eagle Scout, Day will serve as Junior Assistant Scoutmaster to mentor younger scouts in his troop.

During the process of satisfying the requirements for the Eagle rank, over a period of four years, Day earned merit badges representing 21 different fields of interest including first-aid, communication, safety, citizenship, preparedness, camping, environment, personal fitness and personal management, along with merit badges in diverse vocational and recreational subjects such as welding and fly fishing. Day also performed community service, provided service and leadership for his troop.

During Day’s Eagle Court of Honor at Windham Hill United Church of Christ on September 16, Day’s Troop mentor, Lynn Vajda, expressed her pride in his achievement.

“Throughout his journey, Aiden’s character as an Eagle candidate was exemplary,” she said. “Aiden has been an anchor in Troop 51 and leads by example in the troop and in his private life,” Vajda continued.

The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.

The Scout Oath states, “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; To help other people at all times; To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.”

The Scout Law states, “A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean and Reverent.”

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