12 minute read
Goose’s Goodies: Apple
Apple Oatmeal Cookies
Pie, cobbler, crisp… there are so many things to make with the season’s bounty of apples. Looking for something different to make with your orchard goodies? Try these yummy, soft oatmeal cookies. Use any variety of apple you like, and customize by mixing in other goodies like white chocolate chips or raisins.
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Ingredients
3/4 cup butter, softened 1 cup packed light brown sugar 1 egg 1 tablespoon apple juice 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats 1 cup apple, peeled, cored and chopped
Directions
Heat oven to 350°F and lightly grease cookie sheet.
Beat butter, brown sugar, egg, apple juice and vanilla in a large bowl until creamy. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Add to butter mixture; beat until blended.
Stir in oats. Add apple; stir until blended. (If adding chocolate chips or raisins, stir them in now.)
Drop by teaspoons onto the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.
Laurie Silva Collins, known affectionately as Goose by her grandkids, is a nurse, mother and grandmother who is happiest when she’s in the kitchen, cooking and baking for those she loves. She learned to cook from her parents, and has perfected her recipes over the years while raising three daughters… and spoiling seven grandchildren.
Bites
goose’s goodies
on the September Adventures agenda
7 things to do this month
1. Boston Lights: A Lantern Experience
Franklin Park Zoo, Boston Nightly through Labor Day; Thurs day to Sunday Labor Day through Nov. 1, 6-10:30 p.m. Non-members $19.95; members: $17.95; family 4-pack $67.95/$59.95
Hundreds of luminous, large-scale lanterns will light up Franklin Park Zoo in a first-of-its-kind experience this fall. More than 50 enormous displays of hundreds of colorful lanterns span the zoo’s 72 acres in Boston Lights: A Lantern Experi ence. Featuring stunning, dramatic entrance arches, a walk-through 66-foot-long shark tunnel, a 26-foottall giant panda, a 197-foot-long dragon, whimsical ocean scenes, vibrant flowers, traditional Asian lantern scenes and much more, the whole experience is sure to dazzle and delight. Advanced online and timed ticketing for a designated
day and time is required. Visitors over age 2 are required to wear face coverings. zoonewengland.org
2. StoryWalk on the Trails
Chestnut Hill Farm, Southborough and Powisset Farm, Dover Daily through September, dawn to dusk Free
Enjoy reading and the outdoors at the same time with a StoryWalk at Chestnut Hill Farm. Conceived as a way to inspire parents, teachers, and caregivers to take young chil dren outside for physical activity and to learn, StoryWalk helps build children’s interest in reading while encouraging healthy activity for everyone. Laminated pages from a children’s book are attached to wooden stakes, which are installed along one of our farm’s trails. As you stroll down the trail, you’re directed to the next page in the story. thetrustees.org
3. Warm & Fuzzy Feels Exhibit
Boston Children’s Museum, Boston Wednesday to Sunday, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. or 2-4:30 p.m. Admission $18, members and babies under 1 free
The new Warm & Fuzzy Feels at Boston Children’s Museum exhibition explores the tenderness, care, joy, and love that is generated by friendship between women from different cultural backgrounds. While differences make us special, there are some communities where it is uncommon to befriend people from different cultures. Warm & Fuzzy Feels combines portraits of friends, textiles, and shapes. The combination of those materials mirrors the beauty that is created when differences are accepted and celebrated. The art installation was created by Chanel Thervil, a Haitian American artist and educator who lives in Roxbury, and is open through Jan. 15, 2021. Online tickets or reservations required for the museum. Guests over the age of 2 must wear a face covering. boston childrensmuseum.org
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4. Tortoise Encounter and Feeding
Stone Zoo, Stoneham Daily, 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m. Tickets $10 (plus cost of admission)
The new Tortoise Encounter & Feeding offers a new, up-close way to get to know Stone Zoo’s three African spurred tortoises and to participate in the animals' feeding times. Snap some photos while feeding these magnificent reptiles their favorite meal: yummy fresh produce. Six guests can be accom modated per group, while only two people at a time will be per mitted in the feeding area to allow for social distancing. Tickets must be reserved online in advance, in addition to purchasing general Zoo admission. Sessions run for approximately 30 minutes and are weather permitting (in the case of rain, tickets may be refunded or exchanged for a different day). Safety protocols must be followed while within the Zoo, including the use of a face covering for anyone above the age of two. zoonewengland.org
5. Meet the Machines
Appleton Farms, Hamilton and Ispwich Sunday, Sept. 14, 12-4 p.m. Free
Balers and bucket loaders and harrows, oh my! Spend an after noon at Appleton Farms meeting the machines and enjoying a pizza made fresh in the wood-fired oven. Explore the workings of a backhoe, check out manure spreaders and imagine what it’s like to drive a tractor through the fields. After you’ve gotten your fill of machines, grab a pizza and an ice cream and enjoy a picnic at the farm. Beverages, sweet treats and beer and wine from local vendors will also be available. Picnic blankets are strongly encouraged. Also, sign up for a wagon ride throughout the pastures and fields.thetrustees.org
6. Davis Farm Mega Maze
Davis Farmland, Sterling Saturdays and Sundays, starting Sept. 19 Prices to be announced
Weave your way through this 8-acre corn maze with nearly three miles puzzling pathway networks. Adventure seekers can try to tackle some or all of the games located inside the maze.
If you get frustrated or have little ones, helpful Maze Masters can direct you out, or to the next fun Adventure Zone featuring hammer bells, the field goal kick, slingshots, end goal slide and a dozen other games. Be on the lookout for surprises and photo-ops inside the maze itself. davismegamaze.com
7. Hide-Seek-andDraw: Family Art Quest
Fruitlands Museum, Harvard Saturday, Sept. 26, 2:30-4 p.m. Non-member adult/child pair $25, member pair $15
Go on an Art Quest! Children and caregivers can join in a HikeSeek-and-Draw Family Workshop out on the trails at Fruitlands. Collect natural items from the forest floor, then come together to use magnifying glasses and other tools to look closely and draw the items you just collected. In compliance with state regulations and social distancing guidelines space is limited in this program and all guests must pre-register online in advance. fruitlands.org
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on the agenda
2020 Apple Picking Guide
Check out these area pick-your-own orchards, grab a bushel, and take a bite out of this year’s apple season. At some orchards, you can hop on a hayride, weave your way through a corn maze, or even grab a pint of beer. Social distancing measures are mandatory, and some farms require a reservation for picking. (Meltdown Warning: while we’ve done our best to ensure the accuracy of this information, things can and do change. Please call or check the website before heading out on your apple adventure.)
Berlin Orchards 310 Sawyer Hill Road, Berlin berlinorchards.com
Bolton Spring Farm 159 Main Street, Bolton boltonspringfarm.com
Breezeland Orchards 1791 Southbridge Road, Warren breezelandsorchards.com
Brookfield Orchards 121 Lincoln Rd, North Brookfield ookfieldorchardsonline.com
Carlson Orchards
115 Oak Hill Road, Harvard carlsonorchards.com
Carver Hill Orchard
101 Brookside Ave, Stow carverhillorchard.com
Charlton Orchards Farm
Clearview Farm
Cook’s Farm Orchard
Davis Farmland and Mega Maze
145 Redstone Hill, Sterling davisfarmland.com
Doe Orchards
327 Ayer Rd., Harvard doeorchards.com
Douglas Orchard & Farm
36 Locust St., Douglas douglasorchardandfarm.com
Fairmount Fruit Farm
887 Lincoln St., Franklin fairmountfruit.com
Fay Mountain Farm
12 Cemetery Rd., Charlton faymountainfarm.org
George Hill Orchards
Hawk Hill Orchards
83 Carleton Rd., Millbury
Highland Farm
Hollis Hills Farm 340 Marshall Rd., Fitchburg hollishillsfarm.com Honey Pot Hill Orchards 138 Sudbury Rd., Stow honeypothill.com Hyland Orchard & Pavilion 199 Arnold Rd., Sturbridge hylandorchard.com Lanni Orchards 294 Chase Rd., Lunenburg lanniorchards.com
Meadowbrook Orchards 209 Chace Hill Rd., Sterling meadowbrookorchards.com Nashoba Valley Winery 100 Wattaquadoc Hill Rd., Bolton nasobawinery.com Nicewicz Family Farm 116 Sawyer Rd., Bolton nicewiczfarm.com Old Frog Pond Farm 38 Eldridge Road., Harvard oldfrogpondfarm.com Parker’s Orchard Farm 11 Spring Rd., Westborough Pease Orchard 11 Phillipston Rd, Templeton peaseorchard.com Red Apple Farm 455 Highland Ave., Phillipston redapplefarm.com
Schartner Farm 211 West Berlin Rd., Bolton schartnerfarm.com Shelburne Farm 106 West Acton Rd., Stow shelburnefarm.com Sholan Farms 1125 Pleasant St., Leominster sholanfarms.com Stowe Farm 15 Stowe Rd., Millbury stowefarm.com
Tougas Family Farm 234 Ball St., Northborough tougasfarm.com Westward Orchards 178 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard westwardorchards.com
A GOOD PARTY IS ALWAYS IN SEASON! Reach more than 80,000 readers each month with baystateparent’s Party Pages! Contact Kathy Puffer to book your Party Page ad today! Call 508-737-5653 or email kpuffer@gatehousemedia.com
BY JOAN GOODCHILD
Any parent knows that raising kids is filled with a lot of love and fun, but also a good amount of angst and questions for every year of a child’s life. From tantrums to fevers to sleepless nights, raising happy, healthy children and staying sane throughout the process is a tall order. Unfortunately, there is no manual or helpline, and there’s no shortage of contradictory advice from family, neighbors, total strangers, and the Internet.
Enter Parentalogic, a new digital show from PBS science series NOVA and WGBH Boston that focuses on the science behind parenting. The series is produced in partnership with PBS Digital Studios and can be found on its own YouTube channel.
Co-hosted by pediatrician Alok Patel and Boston-based comedian Bethany Van Delft, the bi-weekly series tackles the challenges of raising children with scientific research and humor.
“Parenting is wonderful and HAAAARRRRRD!!” said Van Delft. “There’s so much to know, so much going on, and there is so much information coming at you from all directions. The internet, well-meaning family, meddling strangers, it makes finding reliable, factual information daunting. We hope to not only offer parents
Tackling the science of parenting with humor
PBS NOVA launches ‘Parentalogic’ series
legitimate answers to their most commonly asked questions, but to help them understand what’s going on with their kids by providing useful health and science research along with, advice from both a medical and parenting perspective.”
As Van Delft notes, the internet is a blessing and a curse for us all in our parenting journey. Armchair experts that get their information from Google often mean well, but instead parents can come away with both facts and
fiction when it comes to kids. That’s why Patel said the mission is to use science-based information in the series.
“Parents simply want to do what’s best for their children and at times that means trying to find quick answers to make the best decisions,” said Patel. “Unfortunately, the ‘search’ can lead towards a path of pseudoscience and misinformation and ultimately, more confusion. I’ve seen this with everything from vaccine information, to teething remedies, to antibiotic use, to, the present-day example; Covid-19. With this program, we hope to do two things to combat the pseudoscience epidemic: give parents a quick, evidence-based, overview on common pediatric topics and to help motivate everyone to pay attention to credentials and the validity of any health information they may run into online.”
And with a healthy dose of humor added to each episode, the hosts hope that means the content will be approachable and easy to understand.
“I think humor helps relax people,” said Van Delft. “Humor connects people, it shows you you’re not alone in this experience. And humor can help make clinical, complex, or daunting topics more accessible. And, well, science is science.” “Humans are hilarious, without even trying to be,” added Patel. “The most real version of a human is a child – the inspirational being without inhibition who simply wants to have fun. We do our best to tell their story while sprinkling in the science.”
Each episode is only 5 to 6 minutes. The first episode premiered in July and looked into the science behind tantrums. Other episodes have tackled fevers in children, and kids’ poop (yes, poop!).
Topic development is a collaborative effort and, in the future, will include a dive into issues like how to decide between breastfeeding, formula, or a combination of both, or where allergies come from, and child common bathroom habits.
“We all jotted down the most common childcare questions we could think of. We wanted to make sure the topics were general enough to be inclusive, applicable to all cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, with their core in general pediatrics,” said Patel. “From there, we wanted to focus on topics that could provide enough science with actionable items. We wanted to empower our viewers with everyday knowledge and not just esoteric facts.” Episodes are posted biweekly and as the show evolves, Patel said Parentalogic staff want to hear from viewers on ideas for future topics. You can catch the show now on the
PARENTALOGIC YouTube channel.
