The great Paw Paw hunt

For years, Anne and I have gone looking for Paw Paws with no success.  I think we always started looking too late, but now I will always remember that Labor day weekend is the time to find ripe Paw Paws!

Clyde loves a visit to the water!

Paw Paw trees grow by rivers and are native to Virginia.  They have a tropical tasting, very soft fruit, that seems to have a fleetingly short season.

We didn't see a single paw paw on the walk until we had turned around and started walking back.  Then Anne started to see them everywhere!  We gathered up about 10 fruits in various stages of ripeness. 

We gathered Paw Paws and people!

We even taught a fellow hiker that the fruit was edible, and he wound up being a better paw paw spotter than either one of us.  It is not an easy fruit to see- Paw Paws are green and about the size of your fist. But once you know what you are looking for, it is pretty easy to spot them. 

Anne eating one on the trail!

The fruit is delicious raw.  The flavor is tropical, and pretty complex.  It has a soft texture, which made us wonder about what else we could make with it.  I will not lie, the first thing we thought to try making was a cocktail.  And so, the Captain Paw Paw was born.

Anne and Zak prepare the Paw Paws

First you take the skins and seeds off of the fruit.  This can only be done with your hands.

Then we added a simple syrup infused with star anise, black peppercorns and cardamom pods, then some dark rum, and finished the drink with fresh lime juice.  Delicious- not pretty, (kind of looked like gravy actually, so I didn't take a photo) but super tasty.  Valentines Day has chocolate, Thanksgiving has turkey and now Labor Day has the Paw Paw!

Day Trippin' on Apples and Beer

Last week my husband and I just celebrated our third wedding anniversary. We decided to stay near home for this one, leaving town just a bit for some Fall adventures. We filled a Saturday with local apple picking and local beer tasting. This is a fun day trip accessible within an hour's drive.


Before last weekend I'd not been to Carter Mountain. But, I gotta say, Rob and I certainly didn't crack the case on this one. As we traveled up the mountain road full of cars, we realized we may be the last people in VA who have not been to Carter Mountain to pick apples. If you aren't familiar with Carter Mountain Orchard it is a self-pick apple farm located just outside of Charlottesville. The place was packed with families of all ages. I have to say, I was nervous about the volume of folks up there, but it couldn't have been organized better. The parking was well managed, as was the check-out line. The orchards are large enough that it could handle many visitors at once. And, hey, it's just darn purdy.

Ahh, nice view.

Nom, Nom!

Baby apples!

For the apples, I'm looking to make some tasty treats. Right now, I'm thinking on apple and caramel - date caramel, if you please! This could be fun for Halloween as well. Check out this beautiful blog by Vanessa Rees (a NY-based photographer and my sister) on the how-to on this treat.

After we picked our apples, we went down the mountain and over to neighboring Nelson County. We drove to Blue Mountain Brewery for a beer on their beautiful patio.

We enjoyed a yummy Full Nelson IPA made with local hops available on draft (ok, we had two). I love this beer - available on draft at some RVA restaurants. This beer is in high-demand, so go for it if you see it!

Pretty IPA on a pretty porch!

My husband is an environmental engineer and he was quick to catch their cool "cover cropping" program. These folks planted soy beans over their harvested hop patch to act as a nitrogen fixer. Nitrogen is one the nutrients necessary for plant growth - so it should make for some tasty hops (and beer) next year!

See the soybeans?!

Anyway, we did this day trip and were home by 5 pm - love it! A day trip to near-by mountains is great fun for the fall. It is fun, tasty, and local. Enjoy!

A gift of peaches

Pre- Irene, I was got a half bushel of peaches from Agriberry. I have a peach obsession, as you well know. Plus, I wanted to be ready for the Yes we CAN! event in November (hope you are coming!) and that box of peaches held a lot of possibilities.

I did make peach butter (some with bourbon!) for the event, and had loads of fruit left over for freezing, and eating for breakfast all week. Then, last Saturday afternoon, Anne and I got a hankering for peach margaritas. Yes, indeedy.

Fresh Peach Margarita

Per serving, blend:

2 cubes of ice

1 peach

until smooth (ish)

Add:

juice of 1.5 small limes

.5 oz peach shnapps

.25 oz of triple sec

1 oz silver tequila

Cheers!