It’s Apple Season 2000

What a special time of year – fall.  This is the season when for many years we made our annual trip to Ellijay, Georgia, to see the sights and buy apples.  Over the last 50-plus years tourism and so called progress has changed Ellijay from the quaint little mountain town that it used to be and it now has all the fast food places and chain stores that one sees in any town.  For years we traveled the two-lane road (Hwy 5) through Ball Ground (named such because it was where Indians played ball), and Jasper.  There was a tiny country cafe near Jasper where we always enjoyed stopping for sausage and biscuit, but in time that place closed.  Then interstate highways came into being and now one travels the Zell Miller Highway right into Ellijay – the new highway even took part of the orchard where Mutsus once grew.

Mutsu is our favorite apple and we’ve eaten them from other parts of the country, but the ones grown on the side of the north Georgia Mountains are best of all – at least that’s what we think.  There’s just something special about the flavor of those apples grown in the red clay of Georgia.  Another treat we always looked forward to was the fried apple pies we ate cooked in the north Georgia kitchens – yum, yum!

This year we have no plans to make that trek to Ellijay – what with all the new aches and pains coupled with the high price of gasoline, we’ll just send by somebody else to bring the apples.  At least that’s what we did last week.  Speaking of aches and pains; yesterday at church a lady asked me how I was and I replied, “Honey, we don’t have the time here for me to tell you.”  My preacher said he used to cut grass for a lady and when he asked her how she was she said, “Pull up a chair.”  Of late that’s the way I feel.

Anyway, back to the subject, last week when the apples arrived something just kept nagging me to bake a fresh apple cake.  Many years ago I could bake a wonderful apple cake that would stand up like a soldier, but in recent years my apple cakes fall – as my Daddy would say, “They squat down.”  However, this particular one did a little better than usual.  Normally, I don’t do kitchen chores at night, but this time was different – John peeled and diced the apples while I greased the pan and got the rest of the ingredients together.  Before bedtime we removed the smelly cake from the oven, but didn’t try it until the next day.  It was wonderful – we’ve shared fresh apple cake with an elderly lady or two and now it’s time to bake another.  Since that time we’ve also enjoyed baked Mutsus, and they are delicious, too.  I use Allspice on mine, but some cooks prefer cinnamon.  Anyway I’m sharing the apple cake recipe that I used – this has to be some of the best of country living. 

Fresh Apple Cake 

1 ½ cup cooking oil
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 cups sifted flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 cups peeled and diced apples
1 cup chopped pecans

Combine the oil, sugar and eggs and beat for three minutes at medium speed.  Blend in flour, salt, soda, cinnamon. Fold in chopped apples and nuts.

Bake in well-greased tube pan at 350 for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

 Sauce:
1 stick butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tsp milk
Bring ingredients to boil, cook for 2 minutes.  Pour on cake while hot.  The sauce will be thin and soak in.

NOTE:  (10-9-13)  The picture does not do the cake justice — here it looks so flat and it isn’t flat.  Remember I told you up front I’m no Julia Childs or Paula Deen.   It may not look very pretty, but there is nothing wrong with the taste.