Apples Aplenty In Green Bluff
In case you hadn’t noticed, fall is coming a little earlier this year - on Green Bluff, at least.
The annual Apple Festival, formerly the four weekends in October, starts Saturday and will run six weekends this year. (After all, Sunday is technically the first day of autumn.)
Apples, of course, are the highlight of the harvest festival on the bluff north of Spokane (off U.S. Highway 2, about 10 miles northeast of the Division Street Y). You can pick them yourself, buy them in the form of freshly pressed cider and see how the cider presses work.
There are also such activities as music, food and craft booths, corn and hay mazes and petting zoos at participating farms (marked with a big red apple sign).
Better than fair
Congratulations are in order to the winners of the three recipe contests at the Spokane Interstate Fair.
Rebecca Stuhlmiller of Edwall won $100, plus a shot at the national grand prize of $500, in the Land O’ Lakes Butter Best Cookie Contest with her White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Oatmeal Sensations.
Almond Butter Tea Cake, from Susanne J. Phipps of Spokane, took the $100 top prize in the Softasilk Championship Cake contest.
And Calvin E. Post Jr. of Colbert, who also appeared at the fair as Tiny the Clown, finished first in the Best Spam Recipe Competition with Spam Stuffed Mushrooms, featuring a yummy concoction of Spam, light mayonnaise, imitation crab and Parmesan cheese. He also earned $100, and will go up against Spam contest winners from fairs across the country for a $2,500 shopping spree at the Mall of America.
Stew U.
Got a great stew recipe? It could be worth $100 in the annual Wazzu Stew Cook-Off at Washington State University on Oct. 25.
Recipes must be original and use ingredients that could be grown or raised in Washington, such as potatoes, apples and beef (sorry, no Spam). Entrants must deliver two quarts of their creation, in a crockpot, by 9 a.m. the day of the contest, along with a copy of the recipe.
To enter, send your name and your stew’s name by Oct. 15 to Elizabeth Peterson, Development Coordinator, College of Agriculture and Home Economics, P.O. Box 646228, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6228. For more information, call (509) 353-2243 or send e-mail to elizabeth@gocougs.wsu.ed.
Mayo clinic
Finally, the final (perhaps) word on our recent grilled cheese sandwich story: an Idaho reader called to suggest adding a little mayonnaise before toasting the sandwich. “It gives it a rich, delightful flavor,” she assures.
, DataTimes MEMO: We’re always looking for fresh food news. Write to: The Fresh Sheet, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.o. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210. Call 459-5446; fax 459-5098.