December 2002 Web-letter from FruitFromWashington.com, Your Online Fruit Solution Center!

Well, we believe it is the message rather than its mode of delivery which determines whether it is "routine" and the only ones feeling shortchanged by your sending an email holiday card would be commercial card purveyors (i.e. Hallmark).

So go ahead, send your holiday cards via email with an easy conscience and donate the bundle you save on postage to the homeless shelter, relief nursery or food bank in your neighborhood. As for etiquette guidelines, be sure to personalize the message, and whatever you do, avoid sending digital cards which are accompanied by annoying animations and terrible .midi sound files that masquerade as music.

“Dame, get up and bake your pies,
bake your pies, bake your pies.
Dame get up and bake your pies -
on Christmas Day in the morning.”
- Traditional English

Pie Baking Household Hints - The very best prize winning apple pies are actually made up of a blend of different apple varieties to create the most perfect complement of taste and texture possible in a pie. Other kinds of fruit and berry pies can be enhanced by the addition of chopped apple and/or pear. Berry pie fillings, such as blackberry, loganberry, marionberry and blueberry, can be stretched and improved with the addition of finely chopped apple or pear (and none will be the wiser, right Helen?). If you are making a mincemeat pie and planning on using commercially prepared mincemeat, you have a moral imperative to improve it with the addition of freshly peeled, cored and chopped apples and/or pears. Adding some grated lemon peel won't hurt either.

“They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon.”
- Edward Lear, The Owl and the Pussy-Cat

A Good Time for Stories and Poems—What to do "when the weather outside is frightful." Grandpa Dee writes, "You asked about kids' spare time during the school break. Other than sending them outside to play, get them started with the J.R.R. Tolkien books: "The Hobbit," "The Fellowship Of The Ring," "The Two Towers," and "The Return Of The King." These are much better and will employ more of their time than the movies. This recommendation is made despite "The New York Times" book review of the "Two Towers," by Donald Barr, as follows, "This is not for children; nor is it for whimsy lovers and Alice-quoters. It is an extraordinary work -- pure excitement, unencumbered narrative, moral warmth, bare faced rejoicing in beauty, but excitement most of all ...." Last Christmas I planned to give a Tolkien sampler to one of our grandchildren, then discovered that it would have been a duplicate, so I reread it and the rest of the trilogy for the first time since reading the books aloud to our own children 35 years ago."

Located in the Kittitas Valley of Eastern Washington, this land would be great for raising horses or as a small farm; great view and privacy. It's about 14 miles from shopping, good schools and Central Washington University. The Kittitas Valley is on the 'dry' eastern side of the Cascade mountains, it has 'four' seasons and is a quick two hour drive from Seattle--just a great place! (Click for more).

Hay Buyers Wanted—Select Kittitas County Timothy and Orchard Grass Horse Hay For Sale! We can ship to most areas. Free delivery available for small loads within Kittitas County, Washington (see details).

Quick Click Highlights for Winter
Welcome the Holidays • Blessings, Graces & Toasts • Winter Celebration: Poems, Stories, Recipes & More • Share the Cheer and the Nostalgia by sending friends and family a Virtual Historic Christmas or Winter Postcard Courtesy of FruitFromWashington.com • Winter Farm scene screensaver • Winter Garden Tips • Cooking Links • Fruit Dessert Recipes • Cookie Recipes • Searchable recipe database • Seasonal computer wallpaper by Katie Eberhart: Christmas Images & Winter Orchard Images • Calorie Search • Fruit Calorie Search

Apple Wassail Bowl