Down on the Allotment

Matron grows vegetables and fruit in a Hampshire garden. I've been growing veggies since I was knee high to a grasshopper. Some traditional varieties and old favourites as well as new ideas. I share my garden with my allotment assistant Daisy the Labrador. On Twitter as @MatronsVeggies

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Happy Snapapple Night!

Whilst visiting the RHS Autumn show recently I found out about some of the ancient traditions surrounding the festivities on 31st October. Most people know about the tradition of 'bobbing for apples' but have you heard of 'Snapapple Night'? read on...
Of course in Scotland the tradition is slightly different.
People get up to the strangest things when they don't get sufficient daylight... How about this one?
Anyway, from apples to pumpkins. I was running a bit low on my favourite pumpkin pie spice mix. I usually buy this in the USA but supplies were running out. I decided to make my own spice mix.
Lightly toast cinnamon sticks, nutmeg pieces, cloves, allspice berries in an oven for about 5 mins. Add some powdered ginger and grind in a coffee grinder until blended. The best home made Christmas spice mix - ever!

11 Comments:

At 9:42 PM, Blogger The Boy Ollerton said...

Thanks for educating us all!!! :D

 
At 2:36 AM, Blogger Wyatt said...

We never were very good at bobbing for apples. I guess that explains a lot! Haha

Wyatt's family

 
At 10:14 AM, Blogger Jo said...

I love reading about ancient traditions. I wonder if they really took them serious.

 
At 10:38 PM, Blogger John Going Gently said...

thank you for folloing my blog
yours is an eclectic romp, which I have enjoyed greatly tonight

thank you

 
At 1:51 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

snapapple night...I like the name...not sure if I could have "snapped" an apple though :) the spice recipe sounds quite nice...and I bet it smells heavenly while toasting in the oven!

 
At 1:46 PM, Blogger tina said...

I love the smell of cinnamon! How creative of you to make your own pumpkin pie spice. I can't imagine trying to bite an apple while it is swinging on a stick with a lighted candle on the other end. Duh! What if you bit the candle by mistake!

 
At 6:27 PM, Blogger Shaheen said...

I wqas just going to ask where on earth did you get the pumpkin spice from. I've never seen it in the U.K, then I read on.

Yes, we have to make our own and the smells are even more fantastic!

 
At 8:03 PM, Blogger fer said...

Very fun tradition! I have never done this, only catch the ones hanged on strings.

 
At 3:57 PM, Blogger Dan said...

Interesting apple facts! Have you ever tried Vietnamese Cinnamon before? We picked some up a couple weeks ago and it has excellent flavor. Very spicy and has a good warmth too.

 
At 5:34 PM, Blogger Matron said...

Dan - that's interesting you should mention cinnamon. I have always thought that the cinnamon I buy and taste in the USA is really quite different from that we get in the UK. I wonder if they are from different countries, or different varieties? I will pay more attention to where it comes from!

 
At 8:15 PM, Blogger Carrie said...

Oh don't you just love learning about traditions we just take for granted today. We were all told those magical things about apples when we were kids and played the games. Ulster-Scots maddness, hahaha

 

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