A
delicious autumn meal to celebrate the Harvest Moon.
The Harvest
Moon is not really bigger, or more pumpkin-colored than other full moons, but
it’s special.
There’s even
a song about it; “Shine on,
Shine on Harvest Moon”
As a child I would hear adults talking about
the Harvest moon, but I was young and didn’t really pay much attention. I grew
up on a small farm where my father grew about six acres of corn and potatoes.
“Bringing
in the harvest” was something I heard my father and grandfather talk about a
lot, usually around the dinner table. It wasn’t until I was older that I found
out more about it and what the moons in September and October meant to farmers.
Here
is an excerpt from my grandparents’ favorite magazine that I found interesting:
“This month,
we celebrate the Harvest Moon, which is the full Moon nearest the
autumnal equinox. It is also known as the Full
Corn Moon as it historically has corresponded with the time of harvesting
corn. It can occur in September or
October and is bright enough to allow finishing all the harvest chores. In the
days before tractor lights, the lamp of the Harvest Moon helped farmers to
bring in crops. As the sun’s light faded in the west, the moon would soon rise
in the east to illuminate the fields throughout the night.” **
**Researched
from “The Farmer’s Almanac Magazine”
Roast
Pork Loin with Apples, Sage & Pecans
Ingredients:
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (5 pound) boneless center-cut pork
loin (or tenderloin)
2 cans (14 ounce each) low-sodium
chicken broth
1 cup pecan pieces or halves (may
substitute walnuts) optional
3 medium apples, washed and sliced
(skin on)
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage or
three-quarter teaspoon dried sage
2 tablespoons cold water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Bring
pork roast to room temperature for 1 hour before cooking.
Combine
salt, garlic powder and pepper in a small bowl; rub mixture over pork.
Place
pork in preheated 400 degree oven and roast 45 minutes or until outside is
browned.
Reduce
oven temp to 325 degrees. Add broth to pan; cover and roast 2 hours longer or until
meat thermometer reaches 135 degrees.
Transfer
pork to cutting board and let stand 15 minutes before slicing (internal temp
will raise to 145 degrees while at rest); Reserve meat drippings in pan.
Meanwhile,
in large non-stick skillet, toast nuts over medium-high heat 8-10 minutes until
lightly browned, stirring occasionally; transfer pecans to serving plate.
Heat
same skillet over medium high heat; add apples and butter and cook 7 to 8
minutes until apples are just lightly browned. Add brown sugar, sage and
reserved pork drippings; heat to boiling over high heat.
In a
small cup, combine water and cornstarch; whisk into apple mixture and heat to
boiling. Boil 1 minute; remove skillet from heat.
To serve,
slice pork and spoon sauce over pork, place apples around pork, top all with
roasted nuts.
Country Style Corn Pudding
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Ingredients:
2 eggs
½ cup butter, melted
1 (16 ounce) can whole kernel
corn, drained
1 cup sour cream
1 (16 ounce) can cream style corn
1 (9 ounce) box corn muffin mix
Beat eggs, add melted butter and
blend. Add remaining ingredients, mix well. Pour into a buttered 13x9x2 inch
baking dish. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until lightly browned; great with roast
pork or chicken, and baked ham.
Since it is apple picking time, this would be a perfect dessert after this soup, alone, or warm and topped with some vanilla ice cream as a real treat. I double the recipe (using my 6 quart slow cooker) because it goes fast.
Old-Fashioned
Applesauce
Makes
close to 3 pints Use at least a 4-quart crock-pot (slow cooker)
Ingredients:
3 pounds red apples (8 or 9 medium);
washed, cored, peeled & sliced
¼ cup packed brown sugar
juice and grated zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or 2
cinnamon sticks)
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Place
apples in crock-pot. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl with 1/2 cup water and stir to dissolve sugar. Pour
over apples, stirring to coat them. Cover and cook on low setting for 4
hours, pushing the apples down into the liquid a couple of times during the
last hour of cooking. You can leave the applesauce “chunky”, or you can press through a strainer to make it smooth. (Peels can be left on if you strain it or put through a food mill; it will retain a pinkish color).
