It has grown downright chilly and damp in this part of the world. We’ve been harvesting lots of goodies from the garden: cucumbers, gigantic pattypan squash and these lovely Royal Burgundy beans:

They’re bush beans, which means you don’t have to fuss with crazy creepers, they’re very prettily colored and they taste great. There’s only one downside. They look like this after you cook them:

How disappointing is that? It’s kind of like waking up to find your date from the prior evening wasn’t quite as handsome as all that beer made him seem. Not that I’d really know what that experience is like.

Ahem.

If you really want to enjoy the season, there’s nothing like apple pie. I made this one last night, following a recipe for the crust from Everyday Food (July/August 2008). The crust is the best I’ve ever eaten, but it’s fussy to work with. I’d never use it to make a lattice pie top, for instance. It’d just crumble to pieces and look like a regular mess. However, if you want a crust that TASTES divine, but looks rather humble, this is the recipe to use.

The apples were just right too. I’m not sure what variety they were…just plain little green things (not Granny Smiths), a bit bruised and scarred, but juicy and spicy. Our friend brought them across Puget Sound just for us to try. We counted ourselves lucky to receive such a wonderful gift.

Meanwhile, I’m working on a doll for my daughter. Two funny things about it:

1. Both Sam and Claire were freaked out by its blank face. Using pins to create a dopey smiley face reassured them it wasn’t a scarey monster. (Makes me wonder how they’d react to Waldorf dolls with their blank faces…or, is it something with the shape of this doll’s head?)

2. One of the kids in the neighborhood saw the half-finished doll sitting in my recliner. She wanted to know if I was making The Stinky Cheese Man. That one still makes me laugh. I don’t know if I’ll be able to call it anything else, even after it has a real face and some hair