My Death Star moment lingers, although not a strongly as in recent days. I've decided to move on to other things, not quite ignoring the feelings of imminent doom but rather making an effort to carry on while watching for additional signs or information that could explain why I'm feeling this way. In the meantime, let's talk about food.


I bought four pounds of green beans yesterday which will be made into spicy dilly beans this weekend. The beans were on sale at Giant and since I missed the real green bean season I decided to go for it. I try to buy canning fodder only in its proper season, but occasionally life interferes - I'm sure that these beans will be just fine. I haven't missed the seasons for cauliflower or brussels sprouts, though, which also make excellent pickles. Hopefully I'll be getting to those soon.


Tomorrow I'm accompanying my son on a(nother) field trip to a local orchard and am planning to purchase a bunch of winesaps to make sauce and maybe some spiced apples as well (for crisps and pies). Last year's apple sauce was good (even better since the apples were free) but not great. I understand that winesaps make excellent saucing apples so I'm looking forward to the process. Nothing makes the kitchen smell better than simmering apples with just a hint of cinnamon thrown in. My mom just finished her sauce - she uses jonagolds, which give a lovely pink color to the finished product - and we've promised each other a swap of a few jars.


In non-canning food news, I am thrilled beyond belief that we are going to visit my in-laws in West Chester, Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving. Beyond my in-laws' charm and the inherent attractions of the holiday itself (although I am increasingly uncomfortable with certain aspects of both its history and current celebratory traditions - posts for another time) there is also the added benefit of the new Downingtown location of...Wegmans. Sign. Swoon. For those of you who are not familiar with Wegmans, I can say no less than it is what every supermarket wants to be when it grows up. Seriously. We lived for a time in Canandaigua, New York, the ancestral home of the Wegman family, and enjoyed what was then the flagship store. To say that Wegmans' stores are monuments to the glory and bounty of the world's table is not going too far. Plus, Wegmans is committed to scholarship among its employees who choose to attend college and makes huge efforts in procuring local produce wherever a given store is located, as well as supporting local food banks and community kitchens. As if these were not enough to engender admiration, the store itself is a marvel. Basically, if it's edible, it's available at Wegmans at a reasonably decent price.


Finally, we've decided to host a bonfire toward the end of the month. It's legal here to have open fires after 4 p.m. and we've got the perfect spot for a nice fire down by what was to be the garden. Should be fun - we'll roast marshmallows, drink spiced cider, dance in the light of the moon. Isn't fall just grand?