The Flavor of Goodbye

Vintage Apple Crate Label from thelabelman.com

Wenatchee, Washington is a small town whose claim to fame is apples...orchards full of them! Mom probably knew more than a hundred ways to cook or include apples in a recipe. My office is full of various apple-themed items given to me as gifts by my students over the years while I was teaching, and when I see them now, I think of Mom. I think of saying goodbye to a career I dearly loved and a woman I could not have lived without. I relish this blending--my life with her life, in big and little ways, but it is also bittersweet. It is fitting that apples are representations of teaching, i.e. a fruit of knowledge, and Mom, from the land of apples, was in many ways one of my greatest teachers...not of things found in academic books, but of life and ways to live it. I wouldn't have made it this far without her. And as long as I draw breath, one of the flavors of my own life with always be---apples.

Mom's Washington Apple Sauce
From the kitchen of Shirley Schaefer

8 apples, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
4 c. water (if you have apple juice or cider, replace one c. of water with one c. of that)
1/2 c. sugar or 6 Tbsp. of honey
1 cinnamon stick or 1 tsp. of cinnamon powder
a pinch of brown sugar
a dash of ground cloves

Mix all ingredients together in a pot with a lid. Bring to a boil (uncovered), then reduce heat to a simmer, cook and cover for 15 min. Uncover and check for softness, cooking up to 5 min. more. Remove from heat & mash if desired. Serve with a