Have an awesome autumn… ~ Bette A. Stevens https://www.4writersandreaders.com
Bette A. Stevens, Maine Author
Inspired by nature and human nature…
In 2002 we planted five apple trees(Granny Smith, Greening, Red Rome, Cortland and Macoun) forming an apple tree crescent between the house and barn here at The Farmstead in central Maine. This year we’ve harvested six bushels from the trees, and our ‘neighborhood’ deer have cleaned up all the drops. No need to bend, rake and set out the fallen fruit for the wildlife, they’ve already harvested their seasonal snacks. No need to travel to the local orchard or market to pick and purchase apples.
Wishing you a bountiful and beautiful fall!
~ Bette A. Stevens, Maine author
Time to Get the Apples In
Poem by Bette A. Stevens
Pies, cobblers, jellies, cider, applesauce and more…
To make and bake
To eat and partake
From our garden
Not the store
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Comments on: "“Time to get the apples in” (POEM) by Bette A Stevens" (75)
Beautiful poem, and it reminds me of an autumn detail from my life. We’re picking the last of the apples and pears in our area, which is a mixed blessing as far as my husband is concerned. I like them best as is, and they keep well, but we don’t have a root cellar. So most of the bottom shelf in our fridge is taken up for some time. Ah, well–marriage is all about compromises, even when it comes to space in the fridge. : )
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Hi, Cathleen! LOL…Compromises, makes me chuckle. Our fridges (3) and freezers (3) are filled with them! 💞🍎🍏🍎 Lucky for me, Dan does a lot of the prep work these days… Wishing you and yours bountiful blessings every day of the year! xoxoxo
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What a wonder – apples, harvesting your own, and your poem. WELL DONE!! xo
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Thanks, Pam! 🍎 Have an awesome autumn… xo
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I know the feeling! It’s amazing when the fruits come from our own backyard, isn’t it? My kids say, “it’s just an apple,” but it’s so much more, it’s an apple from our tree. And it tastes even better!
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Indeed! 🍎 Blessed and grateful… Thanks for chiming in, Jina!
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Thoroughly enjoyed reading your poem, Bette. You can certainly make many things with apples. I really like apple pie and apple sauce. Hope you get to pick heaps from your harvest this year. It’s Spring over here in Australia and flowers are blooming. Wishing you a happy Autumn 🙂
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Thanks so much for your lovely note and visit, Mabel! 🍎 We’ve got plenty of apples to each and share store for winter too… Wishing you a lovely and Sensational Spring, my friend! 🌸💐🌷🌺 xo
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Very generous of you to share your apples around, Bette. Enjoy your apples and take care 🍎
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How delightful and delicious, both your apples and the poem, Bette! You also have some happy deer around to clean up the drops. We only have one apple tree – red delicious. I planted a GrannySmith but I don’t bake apple pies so much, so I took down the tree and planted the current one five years ago. We have about a couple of hundred apples this year. I also have two plum trees and one orange tree. Just planted some blackberries vines. I would like to plant some raspberries and a lemon tree. For vegetables, I have kale, bell peppers, and squash. I’m sure you have a lot of vegetables. Thank you for sharing.
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Thanks so much for your visit and lovely note, Miriam! 💞 It’s such a joy to be able to pick fruits and vegetables from our gardens–healthy and so delicious. We’re cooking down tomatoes into sauce this week and should have enough to last the winter. We used to can them, but now we freeze veggies and frutis. Happy gardening, dear friend! xo
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Oh, how wonderful you have tomato sauce for the whole winter. What kind of veggies and fruits can you freeze?
I made plum jam one year but we don’t use it too often and get spoiled. I could give it away. In fact, one year, I tallied 1,100 plums and I gave them away every week.
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Hi again, Miriam. We freeze all of our fruits and vegetables these days. For fruits (apples, pears plums) Microwave with sugar, spice if you like, little lemon juice. For berries, freeze whole. We store them in plastic quart ziploc bage and they’re ready to use. Jams will last for many years, but they make great gifts too. Also, like you, we give away much fruit and some veggies if we have too many. For veggies, we just blanch them, then freeze. For herbs, we just freeze whole in small bunches. Happy gardening and putting your garden by, dear friend.
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For oranges, we squeeze the juice and freeze it. It gives us several months of fresh juice. The apples are ripening slowly and we don’t have to freeze them yet. I should have some berries next year. Thank you for the tips, Bette.
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[…] “Time to get the apples in” (POEM) by Bette A Stevens […]
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Five bushels of apples! I always look forward to autumn for several reasons, but apples are certainly one of them. I loved your poem after the description of your apple trees and land. Wishing for you a bountiful, peaceful, and blessed season.
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Thanks so much, Karen. 🍎 Wishing you the same, my friend! xo
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Your poem is so lovely, Bette. Congratulations on your apple trees! ❤
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Thanks so much, Kymber. 🍎 Have an aweesome autumn, my friend. xo
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I love the idea of harvesting apples, Bette. That sounds so worthy.
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Blessed with an abundant crop! 🍎🍏 Grateful… Have a lovely week, Jacqui!
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Homemade apples are the tastiest.
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I’m with you, Shel! 🍎 Have a blessed and beauitufl day…
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Thank you!
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What a delightful poem and thought. I wish we had apple trees. This would make a wonderful addition to the “Author’s Pen” in the newsletter, Bette. Would you send it for the October issue? Keep up the lovely writing, my friend. You are such a blessing to me.
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Thanks so much for your lovely note, Sharron… 🧡💛💚 Sending lots of love and will send otu an email too! Love you newsletter and am honored to be included. 🍁 Have an awesome autumn! xo
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Well done on the apple trees. I love all those apples and not getting them at the store is even better. The deer are happy too. Love the poem. Made me smile.
Have a fabulous day, Bette. Big hug. ♥
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Thanks so much, Sandee! 🍎🍏🍎 Feeling the love and sending bunches back to you… xo
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Hats off to you, Bette, with this lovely poem and all the work it takes to grow fruit and convert them into something tasty. I have made jam from our fruit and it is a lot of work.
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Thank you, dear Robbie. 😍 A gardener’s work is never done, but, oh the reward! Fortunately, Hubby is a huge help in the garden and the kitchen. 🍎🍏 Abundant blessings to you and your… xo
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Wow! Your apples are looking so resplendent Bette! Enjoy!
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Thank you, Balroop! 🧡💛💚 Wishing you and yours a blessed and beautiful autumn! 😍😘
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Delightful, Bette. I can just see those deer having a feast.
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Thanks, John. Hubby makes sure our critters still get their fill each day once the harvest is in… 🍎🍏 Stay blessed and have an awesome autumn! 🧡 xo
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You as well, Bette
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Thank you for sharing a part of your world, adventures and lovely poem!!… glad you had a wonderful harvest!!.. I have a small apple tree in the backyard though I don’t harvest like I did in the past… neighbors and passerbys usually pick some… I did have an eye on a juicy red apple but a squirrel got to it before I did and I could tell by the look in his eye he wasn’t going to give it up without a fight… 🙂
Until we meet again…
May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life’s passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!
(Irish Saying)
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So glad you stopped by, Larry. 😋 🍎 We’ve a bumper crop this year with plenty to save and plenty to share… Can just picture you and your squirrel vying for the next beauty! 😍🍁 Have a blessed and beautiful autumn, my friend. xo
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I enjoyed your poem, Bette. There is nothing like a freshly picked apple!
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There’s nothing quite as sweet as a Macoun, directly from the tree tro me… 🍎 So glad you stopped by. Have a blessed and beautiful autumn, Denise! 🧡💛💚 xo
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Awesome and delicious sounding poem, Bette so full of fun and thrills. Such a lovely and beautiful apple tree.
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Thank you, dear Kamal! 🍂 Wishing you an awesome auturmn… 🧡💛💚 xo
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Welcome always dear Bette same to you too dear 💕💕💕💕
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You said it, Bette. We had an apple tree in our yard in Evanston, IL, and I made tons of applesauce every year. The squirrels loved the apples, too. I had to fight them off!
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We love having all the varieties. 🍎 Macouns are my favorites for snacking! The deer don’t seem to pick favorites. Dan saves our throwaways in 5 gallon buckets and puts them out late fall and winter. 🍂 I can just picture you sparring with the squirrels! 😍😘
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It was hilarious to be out jogging (I could then) and see a squirrel run by with an apple in its mouth and know exactly where it came from!
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I love your apple poem, Bette, and what a wonderful harvest! ❤️
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Thanks so much, Eugi! 🍎 May your week be filled with blessings and love, my friend. 💞 xo
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My pleasure, Bette! ❤️
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That’s wonderful, Bette. What a harvest!
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Blessed and grateful… ❤ 🍎🍂 Have a lovely week, Norah. xo
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You too, Bette. 💖
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I enjoyed the “apple” poem and the back story of the planting in 2002. Now YOU, along with the deer, get to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Lovely!
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Thanks, Marian! 🍎 Have a beautiful day. xo
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How convenient to have an apple supply right there! Fall is such a beautiful time in Maine.
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Blessed and grateful… 🍎 Thanks for stopping by for a visit, Pete. May your autumn be awesome too!
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A lovely poem that fits the moment, Bette…I envy you your apple trees especially the Granny Smiths so delicious in a pie 🙂
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Thanks so much, Carol! 🍏 Have a lovely week, my friend. xo
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Thank you, Bette…I hope you have a fabulous week, xx
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Lovely! Happy Fall to you too!
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Thanks & Hugs! ❤
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How wonderful, Bette! Thank you.
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Thanks, dear Jennie! 🍎 xo
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The best! Delicious.
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Thanks so much, VJ! ❤ xo
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Welcome, Bette!
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Lovely, delicious-sounding poem, Bette! 😊
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Thanks, Marcia! 🍎 Have a blessed and beautiful autumn. xo
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Fresh apples are so yummy! Beautiful and fun poem!
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Thank you, Priscilla! 🍎 Three cheers for apples and autumn… May yours be awesome! xo
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Beautiful poem, Bette! Enjoy!
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Thank you, dear Jill. 🍎 xo
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A wonderful autumn apple poem, Bette. I’m jealous of your harvest and can just imagine the applesauce and pies. Have a lovely changing of the seasons. Hugs.
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Thank you, Diana. 🍎 Wishing you an awesome autumn! xo
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Lovely poem, Bette. And I’m thinking apple pie, apple cider, apple dumplings… You get the idea. 🙂
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Got it! Can use all those ideas this year… 🍎 Have an awesome autumn, Joan! xo
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