I will start off this post with clearing my guilty feelings. I am sorry fellow bloggers for not having been around to comment this week. Life has been nuts. Nothing majors, just super busy. I thought my schedule would calm down as the weather would cool down for fallā€¦but nothing could have been further from the truth. Work is super busy and my social schedule is busting at the seam. So next week starting with a clean slate and Iā€™ll be back at commenting.

Have you been suffering from the same busy bee ailment as I? I have to say I am not complaining, life has been a blast. Today willĀ  be more of a visual treat of a day trip spent with friends. One of our stops was an apple orchard. And it was the perfect excuse to super-major-over the top-play with the best applesauce ever I made last year. The trick is making it over a long period of time in a slow cooker: it totally gets caramelized and the apple flavor dominates. This year I added notes of lavender, vanilla and raspberries with a splash of bourbon. Sounds likeĀ  weird mix but they all do go together and the notes were subtle. Time to make some Bourbon Lavender Raspberry Applesauce!

Bourbon Lavender Raspberry Applesauce top

Before I post the recipe here are a few of my favorite clicks following an amazing autumn day spent just south-east of Montreal in a region called the Eastern Townships.

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Gorgeous fall colors as a backdrop to a corn field.

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Melanie has trouble eating and picking apples at the same time!

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Michele is the smart one getting the best apples at the top on a ladder.

IMG_20141007_111300Perfect fall photo.

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Time for squash anyone?

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Yeah, me being silly with a huge apple in my mouth!

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So the latest apple craze is the Honeycrisp variety. It is even more expensive at the apple orchard then regular varietiesā€¦except where we went where they did not charge extra for these beauties. I am not a regular apple fan for snacks but this one is exceptionally good. Honeycrisps are known for their sweetness, firmness, and tartness. Apparently it has much larger cells than most apples, which rupture when bitten to fill the mouth with juice. The Honeycrisp also boasts a relatively long shelf life when stored in cool, dry conditions.

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A hike through the woods at a local vineyard.

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So thirsty, time for some wine AND a ladybug.

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Ziggy, the gorgeous finishing touch to another wonderful fall color view with the vineyards.

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Leaving Lac Brome with local duck in our tummies we caught the last rays of the sun over the lake.

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Is the moon not just amazing this year?

And now unto the recipe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bourbon Lavender Raspberry Applesauce mix

Bourbon Lavender Raspberry Applesauce angle

Bourbon Lavender Raspberry Applesauce

Ingredients
Ā Ā 

  • 5 pounds apples cored and diced (I used Honeycrisp)
  • 5 ounces raspberries
  • 1/4 cup sugar or honey
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons edible lavender slightly crushed
  • 1/4 cup bourbon or water

Instructions
Ā 

  • Prepare the apples. No need to peel unless you prefer it.
  • Mix together all the ingredients in the slow cooker. Add a pinch of salt and optionally 1 tablespoon vanilla extract.
  • Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours.