Friday, October 27, 2006

living in apple country


1. The apples purchased from the nearby orchards in their roadside apple houses do not have the shiny wax buildup like the apples at the grocery store. But a couple of swipes on your jeans gives them that healthy glow - and probably removes some orchard dust too!


2. Granddaughter Madison entered the Apple Beauty Pageant at age 5 and won - Ms. Apple Bud!

3. Back when my girls were in girl scouts, there was a contest to name the local service unit, and Melissa won the contest, it is still the Apple Blossom Service Unit.

4. Also in girl scouts we decorated t-shirts by cutting apples in half, dipping in paint, and stamping apples onto the shirts, red ones, green ones.

5. My neighbor and I had our babies two days apart, and when they were old enough to start eating, she took me to the local cannery and we made applesauce for the babies. Fresh apples, cut in half, cutting out only the blossom end (cause that's where the poison is) - leaving the seeds and peelings (cause that's where the vitamins are). We dumped them into the huge sinks at the cannery to wash them, they were then put into huge vats to cook, and run through a grinder. Then into the jars and to the processor. If we hadn't brought our own jars, we could have bought tin cans for the same purpose. Our babies ate the prettiest pink applesauce (color from the red peelings).

6. Carrie was a clogger for many years for the Apple Country Cloggers, appearing at many local events, also at Six Flags over Georgia, Dollywood, and Opryland.

7. At the county line on all roads entering the county is a sign that says 'Entering Gilmer County - Apple Capital of Georgia.

8. The logo for the Chamber of Commerce is an apple being peeled, the motto - So Appealing!

9. We don't get tired of all the apple references in this area, especially since the other major industry in the county is raising chickens, thank goodness nearby Gainesville has the title of Chicken capital of the world - we are glad for the focus on the apple!

spring