When you think about jams and jellies, probably the last thing that comes to mind are tomatoes. Whenever I pull out a jar for company I am usually met with a strange look and a few questions that make me think of those Memos with the guy from the Lord of the Rings.

The word "natural" is such a loaded word. Essentially everything comes from nature, even the things we don't specifically like and are terribly bad for us. But when we see the word "natural" on our food and clothing and personal care products we believe that these products are as close to their original state as they can possibly be. When I came up for the recipe for these muffins, I made an effort to use foods that were as close to their natural state as I could. With the exception of the whole wheat flour and vanilla extract, all of the ingredients are fresh (and some local). There is also no sugar in these muffins! The sweetness comes from the honey and grated apple.I used this method to substitute using applesauce in the muffins. You can also use real maple syrup instead of honey and the eggs can be replaced to make them vegan.

If you are the type of person that absolutely must personalize each and every Christmas gift for those on your list and are always up for supporting small business over the mega-monopolies, then the Christmas Village is the place for you. It is a wonderful outdoor market filled with vendors from all over the world selling their handmade artisan crafts, clothing, and food under tents set up in LOVE Park as well as the new Dilworth Park directly across from City Hall.

It's hard to believe that I have been canning now for two years. I began water bath canning as a way to teach myself to be more self reliant and to learn the art form of preservation that decades ago was the only way to keep our families nourished during the winter months. It wasn't really until the time of the second World War that tin canned good became the way of life. Form then on women were encouraged to purchase canned vegetables and meats from the ever growing grocery stores instead of growing and preserving foods of their own. Of course, for many people outside of the city and suburban areas of the country, much of the foods in the pantry come right from the garden and the hunt. I admire those people who remain closely connected with their food.

When starting off canning, a lot of people like to jump right into jams and jellies when there is something much easier and much more versatile to get your feet wet with: applesause.

Fall is such a wonderful time for apples. The orchards are plentiful and nothing beats the fresh aroma of cooked apples: whether it be a pie, a bread, a jam or a sauce. In addition, apples are economically reasonable, especially if you are lucky enough to have a pick-your-own orchard or a tree of your own. Even in the markets, apples usually range around a dollar a pound for the conventional varieties which makes them a good target crop to experiment with.

This weekend we took one of our trips to our favorite local orchard, Styer Orchard. The weather was perfect and the skies were clear all day...plus we were out of apples and I am in the mood to cook up some apple pie jam! (That post to come!!!)

The end of the picking season is quickly approaching so we loaded up the buckets with whatever was left. E had fun crawling under the little trees while mommy spent some time climbing up them. Plus, he got to ride the tractor wagon...twice! Unfortunately I only have a few photos from the trip to share, but the change of season was really wonderful to see.