YESTERDAY THE GANG shipped out heaps of Apple Gift Boxes.  Each box will go over the river and through the woods, carrying 18 tasty Finger Lakes fruits toward an apple-friendly home somewhere across our country tis-of-thee.

Meanwhile, the Cidermeister is pressing her weekly batch of Ambrosia.  She will promptly spill it all over the bottles, and the bottles will go on display for your immediate consumption.

That’s how you know it’s fresh—the labels are freshly mucked.  This is no mechanized factory.  This is your local spillery.

Last press before Xmas.  Come get yours.  (Sorry, the Cidermeister’s identity will remain secret for yet another week.)

Got a new book:  Apples of Uncommon Character by Rowan Jacobsen.  It was a gift from our friend at the Finger Lakes Land Trust.  They are a cool organization.  Their mission is, “To conserve forever the lands and waters of the Finger Lakes region, ensuring scenic vistas, local foods, clean water, and wild places for everyone.”  They protect farms, forests, gorges, wetlands, and lakeshores—over 16,000 acres so far.

Let’s have a look inside.  On page 79, we find an apt description of Mutsu:  “monolithic green behemoth.”  It continues, “Like the Incredible Hulk, Mutsu is huge, green, and strangely lovable.  That massive bulk hides a sweet demeanor.  You wouldn’t call it complex, but Mutsu is reliably great.  You are guaranteed a joyous crunch fest…”

We got lots of Mutsus still.  And big ones.  “Famously good fresh, but equally excellent in pies.”

You can get Mutsu bushels with a phone call.  Otherwise, the stand is stocked with value bags.  Plenty of sauce-grade Macs, too.

You can also get QUASH and B RU SSS SPROUT S every day.  If you need a gift for your favorite local foodie, help them geek out on the harvest with Apples of Uncommon Character.  And if you want to connect them to the land on another level, get them a gift membership to the Finger Lakes Land Trust.  You can join, too, and help save our region from unchecked development.  Hope to see you at The ‘Creek.