Celebratiing Midwinter

La Chandeleur, Candlemass, or as we say in Denmark Kyndelmisse or Kjørmes. One of my Facebook friends posted about the French tradition of eating crêpes on La Chandeleur, and I was planning to whip up some batter and bake some for dessert - but then I somehow came across an article about the tradition here on Funen - Eating heavy pancakes with æbleflæsk ('applebacon' is the best word I can think of).

A sucker for history and old traditions, of course I had to find a recipe and serve this dish for my family!

Thus, today's menu was pumpkin soup with creme fraiche, and kjørmespandekager med æbleflæsk.

Anna took over baking the pancakes, so I had plenty time to take a couple of photos, and see to the 'applebacon'.

I really like this dish - the pancake batter contains cinnamon, which complements the apples, and the acid and lard of the 'applebacon' balance each other nicely.

It is a heavy dish, though, better not served on a hot day - but on a winter's evening like today: Great!

If I had had a nice cold dark beer, it would have topped up the experience, but I shall just have to remember that for the next time!

Got My Apple Tree

I have been wanting to plant a Spartan apple tree ever since we moved here six years ago, I just did not have a suitable place to put it, until I cleared the bushes away in the front yard.

We went to the horticultural nursery in Magtenbølle near Vissenbjerg west of Odense this morning, and while my wife picked out some plants for the new beds, I picked my own first Spartan tree.

It was planted right after lunch. and I also put a short pole in the ground next to it to act as support (the soil has to settle, before we tie an old nylon stocking to it).

I cannot wait to taste the ripe apples from that tree, as we had an Spartan tree at home in my parents' garden, and the fruits from that are easily the nicest apples I have tasted in my 50½ years on this green planet! Thus, I hope that it will bear fruit next summer - we now have three apple trees in the front yard, and plenty of flower-bearing plants to make bees and other insects be present in sufficient numbers to ensure pollination.

Well, fingers are crossed, and for the first time in many years I look forward to autumn just as much as to summer!