Angelnina’s Cottage

Pressing Apples into Cider with Friends

A few weeks ago I was hunting for a pumpkin or two to give to my son and his fiancee.  I ended up at a roadside produce stand, found the pumpkins I wanted, bought them, and loaded them into the trunk (don’t tell my chiropractor!).  Just as I was loading the pumpkins a gentleman approached me and said something along the lines of,  “Hi there, I think I know you.”

As a woman, my first thought was,  “Are you kidding me? Do you have to hit on me while I’m loading huge pumpkins into my trunk, and what is up with the “I think I know you”  line!”

I looked up and realized he was serious–especially when he asked, “Do you write a food blog?”  Followed by, “Angelnina?”

“Well, pleased to meet ya!”  I nearly shouted it–I was both relieved that he wasn’t hitting on me or asking for money–you never know in the Seattle area.

As it turns out, Wally  is a very nice man, and he should have his own food blog!  I can learn a lot from this guy.   After introducing me to his wife–via Facebook– they both invited Mark and I to press apples into cider at their home the following weekend.  We hit it off immediately.  His wife, Lucinda, and I have quite a lot in common.  I felt like I’d known her for years.  It is always nice to meet good people.

On our visit, we were greeted with hot bowls of Wally’s homemade Borscht, homemade yogurt, parsley from the garden, toasted homemade bread, AND beer–yes, you guessed it–Wally makes the beer too!   Normally I don’t drink beer, but I really wanted to sample his home brewed beer, and I have to admit, this was not the high school beer I had remembered–this beer had a hint of  herbal, floral, taste–great stuff!

Lucinda served us and amongst many wonderful talents, she  is also a very friendly hostess

ABOVE: Wally’s Beer

Wally wasn’t wasting any time with pleasantries, and before my last bite of borscht was down, he announced “These apples will not peel themselves.” ,and with that he set 4 cutting boards, knives, and a huge box of apples.  We had a great time visiting and chopping.

Next, we went out to the cider press Wally built–yes, he made it.  He and Lucinda also raise chickens and mason bees.

When the apples were pressed we drank coffee, apple juice, and ate some pignolis I had packed up as a hostess gift.

Nothing is better than meeting new friends and enjoying great food and drink.