The aroma I most associate with apples in the fall is the one you get when strolling through an orchard; branches of ripe apples waiting to be picked off the tree, a few windfalls adding to the heady fragrance with just a touch of fermentation.

Apples are for eating; check your local farmers’ markets and roadside stands to get the widest variety from trees that may have been grown here since the early pioneers arrived. Vancouver Island is home to hundreds of different varieties; there’s no reason to restrict yourself to the few popular types stocked in supermarkets. I picked up a few pounds of Wealthy apples to eat out of hand, but they also made the perfect base for an apple-blueberry crisp.

Apples are also for drinking. My two favourite cideries on the Island are Merridale Cider near Cobble Hill, and Sea Cider on the Saanich Peninsula. Both companies have a fine range of handcrafted ciders made with much loving attention. Check with them before you visit to figure out the best times. I know at Merridale the self-guided cidery tour takes on an added dimension when you can watch the apples being chopped and pressed for their valuable juices. If you take the orchard tour you might just spot some faeries at work, or at the very least their little village hidden in the woods at the edge of the orchard. (Kids love that part of the tour).

Sea Cider Farm and Ciderhouse: 2487 Mt. St. Michael Rd., Saanichton, 250-544-4824 www.seacider.ca

Merridale Estate Cidery: 1230 Merridale Road, Cobble Hill 1-800-998-9908 www.merridalecider.com

Or for any other type of sausage. Sure, sausages are great on the grill in the summer, but in the fall they take on a whole different context when used as ingredients in braised or stewed dishes. My sausage making skills haven’t progressed to the point where I can crank out my own links on demand, but up and down the Island I have discovered a few great places to stock up. (Yes, I always travel with a cooler and ice packs in my trunk.)

Two of my most recent finds are in the Comox Valley. Gunter Brothers Meats is a family-owned and operated business that has been around since 1932.

While the operation serves as a slaughterhouse and processor for local livestock farmers, it also has an active retail shop out front where I found lots and lots of sausages to choose from. In Courtenay, Brambles Market also has a wide selection of sausages.

Chances are the raw meat ingredients were processed at Gunter Brothers, but Brambles co-owner and chef James Street then turns them into delicious options ranging from a simple pork breakfast sausage to mild or hot Italian and further around the world with Cuban sausages or even Thai sweet and sour. I’ll tell you more about Brambles in a later issue of Island Times; this shop only stocks 100 per cent made-in-British Columbia products.

Brambles Market: 244-A 4th Street, Courtenay 250-334-8163
www.bramblesmarket.ca

Gunter Bros. Meat Co.:
6200 Ledingham Road,
Courtenay (Merville) 250-334-2960

I was pleasantly surprised a few years ago to discover the folks from Yellow Point Cranberries near Ladysmith selling fresh cranberries at the downtown Duncan Farmers Market. They now have over 15 acres planted and in production, selling fresh berries just in time for your Thanksgiving turkey dinner, and over 20 different processed berry products. You can purchase the preserves at the farm store, have them shipped, or get them in season at various farmers markets.

Check their website for dates. An easy cranberry sauce recipe offered on their website advises you to combine four cups of cranberries with two cups of sugar and half-cup orange juice in a pan; simmer until the berries pop.

I jazz up this recipe by adding a cinnamon stick, one star anise and a few allspice berries wrapped up in a cheesecloth pouch which I remove before serving.

Yellow Point Cranberries 4532
Yellow Point Road,
Ladysmith 250-245-5283
www.yellowpointcranberries.co

Sausage and Apple Tagine - Serves 4

You can use any kind of sausage for this, beef, pork, chicken or lamb. If it is a fully cooked sausage you can immediately cut the sausages into pieces and add them into the tagine after the onion, garlic, ginger and spices have cooked together.

4 large sausages
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion peeled, halved and sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp. cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste
1⁄4 tsp. nutmeg
1⁄2 tsp. hot pepper flakes (optional)
4 medium sized apples, peel, cored and sliced into 8 wedges each

1⁄2 cup apple cider, apple juice, or chicken stock
1⁄2 cup chopped cilantroIn a large frypan, heat the oil on medium heat and add sausages. Gently brown on all sides and remove from pan; set aside on a plate. When they have cooled a bit, cut into four pieces each on the diagonal. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and gently sauté until translucent. Add in the spices and stir to release their aromas. Add the apple wedges and stir to coat in the spices. Transfer the sausages and any juices that have accumulated into the pan, and add the chicken stock. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove lid and let the juices reduce. Adjust seasoning. Serve on a bed of couscous and garnish with chopped cilantro. Enjoy with a glass of your favourite cider.