Showing posts with label apple. Show all posts
Showing posts with label apple. Show all posts

October 26 – Allantide in Cornwall, England

Posted October 26, 2019

(Saturday nearest to Halloween)

Cornish foods and customs come from
Cornwall, England, the southwestern
county pictured above in pale pink.
The Cornish festival of Allantide is sometimes celebrated on the Saturday nearest to Halloween...and is sometimes celebrated on Halloween itself, October 31. Like so many other Halloween things, the festival is a mix of pagan and Christian customs.


Allantide is sometimes called Saint Allan's Day or the Feast of Saint Allan. Allan apples are large and red, and they appear to be ubiquitous symbols of the holiday. They make store windows festive, they are given out as gifts on Allantide, and they feature in games and fortune-telling activities. For example, a girl might put an Allan apple under her pillow at night in the hope that she will dream about the man she will someday marry. 

Don't try this at home! This is one of the most dangerous games I've ever heard of: A wooden cross is hung from the ceiling. Above the cross are lit candles, and below the cross dangle a few Allan apples. The goal is to bite or eat an apple, without using one's hands, and the punishment for being to gentle or too rough is - a face full of hot wax??? What?? I can just imagine candles falling onto players, hair catching on fire, and hot wax permanently blinding eyes. Craaaaaazy!

The other thing I saw plenty of in Allantide descriptions is the turnip lantern, similar to the pumpkin jack-o-lantern.


Finally, Allantide includes a custom similar to one from Day of the Dead celebrations: the family puts up a table display dedicated to dear ones who have died over the years.





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October 31 – National Caramel Apple Day

Posted October 31, 2017

I kind of hate to talk about anything other than Halloween on October 31, but as you see below (in the "Also on this date" section), we have Halloween, Halloween, and more Halloween. Samhain is one of the precursors to Halloween, and knocking on doors, begging for treats, and magic are all associated with Halloween. So almost every year, I manage to talk about Halloween. This year is no exception!

All sort of treats are associated with Halloween. Here are a few:

Candy of all sorts, especially miniature versions of popular candies.

Candy corn, in particular.

Spiced apple cider.

Popcorn balls.

And caramel apples!

Now you see why today is National Caramel Apple Day!





To make a caramel apple, buy a bag of caramels - making sure that sticks are included in the package. Slowly heat the caramels over low heat, stirring frequently. Impale a crisp, tart apple with a stick and then dip it into the melted caramel, moving it around to get an even coat. 

Put the dipped apple onto a tray covered with waxed paper. Cool it - possibly in the refrigerator.

It's easier to eat a caramel apple when it is cool or even cold, because then the caramel isn't quite as soft and sticky. 

Of course, you can vary this simple recipe a lot of different ways. 

One popular variation is to dip the caramel coated apple into chopped peanuts (before allowing the caramel to cool). 

Other sorts of nuts, small candies, or other toppings can be used. 


 


Another popular thing to do is to "paint" designs onto caramel apples with melted white chocolate colored with food coloring - or with just melted dark chocolate.




Here and here are some more ideas.

Enjoy!





Also on this date:


Halloween (All Hallows' Eve)
















































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November 28 – Cider Monday

Posted on November 28, 2016


First there was “Black Friday” - the semi-official start of the Christmas shopping season in the United Sates, a day when stores open ridiculously early and shoppers line up even more ridiculously early for bargains and sales and even a wee bit of hysteria.

Black Friday is traditionally (since the early 1930s) the Friday after the U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving.

Then there was Cyber Monday – held the Monday after Thanksgiving – a marketing scheme to get people to shop for Christmas gifts online. Once again, it's seen as a day to get great prices (if you're a shopper) and loads of sales (if you're selling stuff).

Cyber Monday made its debut in 2005.

Now there's Cider Monday. Also on the Monday after Thanksgiving, Cider Monday is a chance to step away from our computers and maybe even from bargain hunting – a chance to slow down and warm up – a chance to support the arts and local businesses.

Specifically, we are urged to go to independent book sellers – actual bookstores with walls and shelves of books to handle and leaf through and read the back covers. Some bookstores are offering free hot cider – and if you're lucky enough to be sipping the warm, fruity/spicy stuff, hopefully you'll take the time to scan the shelves for the next great book to read!

Apple cider is a kind of apple juice – the really yummy kind! It's unfiltered, unsweetened, and often heated and mulled. To be mulled is to be heated with slices of orange and lemon, and with spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger.




Also on this date:




















Anniversary of the first skywriting in U.S. skies
Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest boards for:

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