Thursday, December 3, 2015

36th Annual Apple Festival at Bement, Billings, NY

Hi Dear Folk,

At breakfast Jean was reading in the local newspaper and found out about this local Apple Festival that was just down the road from where we were staying.  This was on Sunday, now we had already been to the Apple Festival in Ithaca on Saturday and that one I knew about. 

But what a difference a day make, as much as Sunday was sunny and bright, Saturday was misty, rainy and damply cold.  We left from home really early, stopped off for breakfast half an hour before Ithaca which was nice, it hit the spot after the drive through mist and rain.

We found a parking spot and walked all the streets with vendors lining them, some from as far away as Guatemala.  Lots of food and quite a few crafts and of course apple everything.  Hardly any pics because of the rain.  We had lunch at the Jewish Deli which I think I have mentioned before, we were ready for a warm up and a hot sandwich.  There was so much to food to buy at the street vendors, but no where to sit and eat it and have a warm up.  Later in the afternoon we found a natural foods store where we were able to get a hot cup of tea.

We met up with the Boy after he had finished a shoot.  Saturday evening in Ithaca at any restaurant is a long wait.  We settled on a small highly recommended Vietnamese restaurant where we did have to wait half an hour.  I think Jean and I were the oldest folk in there except for the Vietnamese proprietress, definitely a young college vibe.

I really am a fan of those Vietnamese sandwiches made on a baguette roll, you know that French/Vietnamese fusion and we ate a delicious one in Brooklyn.  If I was more familiar with Vietnamese food I think I would have made a choice more in tune with what I like, but was still good.

So here is Sunday bright and sunny and here we are at the Bement Billings Farmstead Apple Festival, and what fun it was.  Definitely far more local people sharing their skills and selling their wares, which made it so special.




This young couple made some lovely pieces, I bought a barrette/hair clip made from an old Czech glass button, really pretty and a Maple Leaf pendant.



An old apple cider press.  American apple cider is not fermented, unlike when you refer to cider in the UK.



A coyote.



Some of the original explorers in North America were in the fur trade, both in Canada and the USA; selling their goods to such companies as the Hudson Bay Co.  The beaver fur trade in the 1600's was considerable and the success of the original New England Pilgrims hung on the balance of the beaver fur trade.  Their financing for sailing and settlement in the new world was based on a return for the investors, thus their success in the New World. After their initial first decade of the 1620's their finances picked up considerably in the 1630's when the trade and price in beaver furs rose in Europe and so did the influx of new settlers.

My husband's forbears, same family name as ours came over from England in 1638, so very early on.  They originally settled in Massachusetts and then later New Hampshire and ending up in northern Vermont, where there is still distant family and the farm.  They never kept going West like Laura Ingalls family.  In fact Bob's grandfather did not move away from there until 1911, moving down to the Baltimore area and that is when contact with the family in Vermont was lost.

What was my thought in saying all this, well that trapping, hunting and furs have been an integral part of many North Americans life's and livelihood.  These furs were all local to New York State.  Something we saw were fisher cat paws, I had never heard of the fisher cat nor had Jean.  I was thinking of a cat, but actually they are more akin to a polecat, quite ferocious and can climb trees, so decimate the wild turkeys.  Their cry is unbelievable Google You Tube to listen to them.

I think that there are many alternatives to wearing fur, so is not personally something I would infest in, I would also think is this humane and how does this effect the wild population of animals.



The travelling ironsmith.



Apple fritters straight out of the pan, delicious.




To me he looks like a French settler.


The creek running behind the property.

More to follow on our lovely time spent here.

Christy

1 comment:

  1. It was a wonderful morning and I love my maple leaf pendant. I am craving those apple fritters as they were so good. Your photos really reflect the atmosphere.

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