-=> Ruth Haffly wrote to Dave Drum <=-

 DD> Pretty much. It was like she didn't care any more. She asked me to
 DD> move in with her - I suspect mostly to help ride herd on my younger
 DD> brother. When she passed I became his guardian.

 RH> How old was your brother at the time? My parents both passed away when
 RH> all of their children were grown/gone so there was no need for any
 RH> guardianship issues.

He was 14. So I raised/supervised/advised him for four years before he
joined the Navy where he learned two widely divergent trades. Cooking
and underwater welding. He was running the kitchen at the Pensacola
Naval Air Station's officer's club when he fund that underwater welding
paid astounding amounts of $$$ per hour so he gave up cheffing and went
to working on the offshore oil rigs on a contract basis. It paid well
enough that he only had to work a few days a month to provide for his
wife and children with lots left over for "projects".

 DD> I can't recall ever having eaten an Empire. But, there are lots of
 DD> cultivars of apple out there. Did you know that the apples produced
 DD> from the trees spread by the mythic "Johhny Appleseed" (John Chapman)
 DD> were not meant for eating or cooking but for making cider - especially
 DD> hard cider. That's according to an article I read in the Smithsonian
 DD> magazine.

 RH> Didn't know that, but not surprised. Probably a good number of apples
 RH> went into baked goods or eaten as is as well as being made into cider,
 RH> which turned into vinegar as it aged. (G)

 DD> From what I read the apples planted by Chapman were sour and bitter
 DD> and fit only for making cider (and ultimately vinegar). Much was said
 DD> about hard cider and little about sweet cider. So, I dunno. Probably
 DD> would have fit right in with British scrumpy.

 RH> Sounds like it so all of those folks that came over from that part of
 RH> England would have been happy. Probably passed along to their neighbors
 RH> how to make cider and let it age into vinegar.

When I make cider vinegar I *always* add some "mother" to the raw juice
and - Presto - ChangeO ... cider vinegar.  Bv)=

 DD> Scrumpy is a type of cider originating in the West of England,
 DD> particularly the West Country. Traditionally, the dialect term
 DD> "scrumpy" was used to refer to what was otherwise called "rough",
 DD> a harsh cider made from unselected apples.

 DD> You likely wouldn't drink it because of the alcohol. I've tried it and
 DD> don't care to repeat the experience. But, I might cook with it if
 DD> there were some on hand,

 RH> Thanks for the head's up. I've not done a lot of cooking with
 RH> cider/apple juice in any form tho I did get a recipe for apple cake
 RH> from a friend that starts by reducing a quart of cider down to about a
 RH> cup.

Sounds like an apple syrup. Now, that's a syrup I'd eat on my waffles. 

MMMMM----   Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

      Title: Apple Syrup
 Categories: Five, Condiments, Fruits
      Yield: 1 /2 cup

     4 c  Apple cider

  Recipe courtesy of The Red Lion Inn 

  In a large pot, bring the cider to a boil over
  medium-high heat. Boil the cider until it has reduced to
  a thin syrup (you should have about 1/2 cup),
  approximately 25 minutes.

  Cool and store at room temperature.

  Makes: 1/2 cup

  This recipe was provided by a chef, restaurant or
  culinary professional. It has not been tested for home
  use.

  RECIPE FROM: https://www.foodnetwork.com

  Uncle Dirty Dave's Archives

MMMMM

... If ignorance is bliss, why aren't there more happy people?
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