Baked French Toast Sticks

For lunch on Friday, Kole had some French Toast Sticks. He couldn't stop talking about them. I tried one and, well, it was ok, but not life changing. It was fried and kind of heavy on the stomach.

So, today he was asking if we could make some for lunch. While I'm not afraid of using fat to cook (please pass the butter!!), we don't fry foods. So, I went to trusty Google. I ran across this recipe and we decided to give it a go. I didn't have Texas toast, so I just used my sandwich bread.

I wish I could say it was a smashing success - I thought it tasted great, but Kole told me it was only a "little gooder" than the lunch he had on Friday. I'm sure tomorrow it will be the best thing he's ever had. He is only 4! But, it gave us the perfect opportunity to use some maple syrup - as if I needed a reason! I also had it drizzled on my steel cut oats for breakfast. What about you - what do you have for breakfast on chilly mornings?

A Gallon of Pure Love

Yesterday, I travelled to Springs, Pa for the Annual Springs Folk Festival. I look forward to it every year. The biggest reason? This:

Yes, that's a gallon of pure Grade B PA Maple Syrup. I grew up a Grade A gal, but age has changed me. I'm in love with the depth of Grade B now. The real reason I like it? The price tag! $40 for a gallon. We love to support our WV farmers when we can, but my heart will always be in PA when in comes to maple syrup. When you're a maple princess, I think there is some sort of unspoken rule about a lifelong commitment to the real stuff.

There is an Amish community in the area and many have carts set up along the road to and from the festival. We visit the same family every year and that is where we found delicata squash! Yesterday, though, I picked up 2 pie pumpkins to roast. Dan wants to make hard cider and there is a cider press nearby where you can buy gallons of unpasteurized cider. I picked up five gallons, 3 for cider and 2 for drinking. When we start out orchard, one of our goals is to make cider yearly. Kole even asked Dan the other day, "Daddy, can we build our own press so we can make cider?" Now, who can say no to that!

First Autumn CSA

The leaves are starting to change here in West Virginia. We have some of the most beautiful fall foliage in the country during October. We get some pretty spectacular views at the house, so I hope to have some neat pictures to share with you over the course of the next few weeks!

It's always somewhat depressing to know that the summer Farmers Market season is coming to an end. We only have two more weeks of a summer market left until the winter market starts. To help ease my sadness about the ending of the market, I stocked up on some summer produce for my CSA box this week.

I picked up a dozen ears of corn, bell peppers, apples, tomatoes, and a huge watermelon. We had some corn last night that was delicious. And we enjoyed some watermelon for dessert. We ate outside and the chickens loved us because we shared our rinds with them.

I roasted a pumpkin from the garden this weekend and I am looking forward to going to the Springs Folk Festival later this week. Dan is ordering some things to make hard cider from the unpasteurized apple cider I pick up for him by the gallon. I also snag a gallon jug of maple syrup. We love that! On the road to the festival, there is an Amish family that generally has a few wagon loads of goods. This is where we got hooked on delicata squash. You can pick up pie pumpkins for $0.50 or $1 and other squashes for just as affordable. I'm looking forward to stocking up on some to throw in our root cellar.

What plans do you have for fall? I'll share some progress on painting the chicken coop and our fall garden this week! Happy Monday!