the life I picked

a bushel of gumption, an ounce of grace

les feuilles mortes

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There is a wooded trail I run that tells me the season, in case I lose track, which I can do…the sharp hill part especially, where the sleek oak leaves have now amassed, and their big acorns with them– have never seen acorns this large, or numerous, and there’s been much discussion about what this means for the winter to come. Hmmm. My vote is in: hard….

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enter quince

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With an unexpected haul of beautiful quince from the Berkshires thanks to friend, chef and meat expert Rob, Fresh Berkshire quince for les collines quince preserveour autumn quartet is complete.Les Collines fresh Berkshire quince preserve

I don’t think I’ll ever tire of cooking quince– as labor intensive as it is (see my posts from last year…you cook and cook quince, and then finally, you’re ready to start cooking it…) watching it change from creamy white to orange-ish to rosy orange is like magic every time.cooking fresh Berkshire quince preserve from les collines

But if you can’t deal with the scrubbing, peeling, cutting (more like hacking), cooking, just having a bowl of the fruit on the table lends a heady fragrance to a room. We are absolute fans.
Go quince!!!
 

 

crabapple

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Back after two years, so happy to announce the return of our first flavor, the sweet tart, candy apple red jelly that rocks for flavor and color like no other: crabapple.crabapples on the tree

les collines crabapple jellyIn a year of extraordinary apple crops, the crabapples too are producing more than we can harvest. Will be all the more for the deer and other critters in a winter forecast to be pretty tough in the Northeast.

But for the moment it is October, just one light frost to date. The trees hang heavy with fruit, the foliage is glowing and les collines await only magical, fragrant quince for the autumnal lineup to be complete.

Coming soon all four: cider sage, quince, crabapple, Concord grape– gold to pumpkin to red to deep purple, reflecting the colors of the season xo