This is the part where I tell you a little bit about me and about my cookbook,
An American Apple Appetite, in the . . . 

Introduction

Sitcoms and Fairy Tales Do Come True, or

 How an American Housewife Copes with a Yard Full of Apples

Once upon a time there was a writer named Carole. She had this great idea for a cookbook all about apples. This cookbook would include information on orchards, legends, festivals, and other apple tidbits. How did she come up with this great idea?

Well, Carole was also a wife and mother rearing three young sons. And it so happened that this family moved to a new home where apple trees were blooming in the yard. These trees supplied the family with lots and lots of apples from early summer to late fall.

Eventually, these apples became the subject of lots and lots of questions. Carole first asked, "What am I going to do with all of these apples?" Then she asked, "What kinds of apple trees are these?" Soon followed by, "Yuck! What kinds of bugs are these?" (Lots and lots of bugs love to nibble on apples.)

Then her young sons each asked, "Why do I have to pick up all these apples?" Which brings us back to the first question. What do you do with a yard full of ripe apples?

With three growing boys at the table, eating apples was obviously the favorite answer. So, as the chief cook and bottle washer, Carole began turning apples into apple pie, applesauce, and other old favorite recipes. 

With such a plentiful supply of apples, wormholes notwithstanding, it was not long before she began experimenting with new ways to prepare apples: apple pancakes, apple salads, fried apples, apple butter, apple dumplings, and-well, you get the picture.

When the little boys grew into big boys, Carole went back to writing. Soon the idea of the cookbook began to form. "Part of the book should include interviews with people who grow apples," said Carole. So she wrote to apple growers and apple associations across the United States. In answer to her questions, a number of individuals and groups submitted information and recipes for the cookbook. Unfortunately, this project coincided with the "alar scare."

 What is alar? Well, it is a dangerous chemical. A number of years ago, alar was sprayed on commercial apple crops and created real health concerns. Apples were taboo.

Eventually, consumer confidence in American apple crops returned. However, the apple cookbook was put on a back burner.

Then one day Carole discovered the Internet. (Oddly enough this happened while she was using an Apple computer.) Then she discovered user-friendly webs, which brings us to this web home for An American Apple Appetite.

By the way, here are some of my favorite apple pickers. The young boys  are my three sons. ( Wasn't that the name of a TV show?Anyway, my three sons love to pick apples to gobble down in a crunch or two. 

Of course, they were much younger when this picture was taken. But then, so was I.

The deer are also avid apple pickers. Unlike dear little boys, these little deer do not need to be persuaded to pick up fallen fruit.