The Apple Crisp Secret: A Bullerby Michaelmas Story
There once was a family by the name of Bullerby. There were mamas and papas, aunties and uncles, brothers and sisters and cousins. And there was a Grandma and a Grandpa Bullerby. They all lived quite close to each other in a little village and they celebrated birthdays and festivals together, and even Sunday dinners when Grandma made spaghetti and meatballs.
In the great big Bullerby family there were two little boys by the names of Rory and Clover who were cousins, and they were like two peas in a pod. They loved each other very much, and they went everywhere together from the moment they finished their breakfast, to the moment they came in for dinner at night.
They were sweet and smart little boys who loved secrets and one year during Michaelmas season they decided to discover the biggest secret in all the Bullerby family– the secret ingredient to Grandma Bullerby’s apple crisp.
Every autumn, Grandma made her apple crisp for Michaelmas festival and every year they declared it was the very best in the land. But when they asked Grandma what she put in it, she sweetly shook her head and said with a smile, “It’s my little secret!”
Well, it was Michaelmas season again, and the whole great big Bullerby family was busy preparing. The Bullerby children were so excited!
All the mamas and papas began telling the story of the Golden Prince who was a helper of Knight Michael. All the children loved this story and they all wanted to be helpers, too. So, when the Bullerby family all visited the apple orchard, all the children helped to pick bushels of apples.
At home, they helped to sort the apples with bruises for baking or cooking and the prettiest apples for eating fresh. And when Grandma Bullerby took her big bushel of baking apples and headed for home, well those two little helpers Rory and Clover secretly followed her all the way into her kitchen without being noticed!
Merrily humming to herself, Grandma Bullerby washed each apple and placed it on the counter while Rory and Clover crouched under the breakfast table to secretly watch. Grandma Bullerby chopped each and every apple into little pieces and placed them in a big bowl and still Rory and Clover secretly watched. Then Grandma Bullerby opened the kitchen cabinets and began to take out the rest of her ingredients. But when she picked up a jar of cinnamon, it fell out of her hands, landed on the floor and rolled right up to the breakfast table where the two helpers were hiding.
Rory and Clover saw the cinnamon jar come rolling over. Their eyes opened big and wide. They turned and looked at each other and when they turned to look back at the cinnamon jar, they were staring Grandma Bullerby in the face instead. Grandma’s eyebrows were furrowed as she said: “Ah! I see I have a couple of mischievous elves lurking about my kitchen!”
“Please don’t be mad, Grandma Bullerby!” The boys cried together (for they loved Grandma so very much), and then they explained to her that all they wanted was to discover her secret ingredient because her apple crisp really was the best apple crisp in all the land and they loved secrets!
Grandma looked at them for a moment and then she began to laugh. She took her grandsons into a great big hug and she said, “Well, then. I think you’ll just have to be my secret helpers!”
And so, Rory and Clover Bullerby washed their hands and set to work helping Grandma to mix oats and flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt. They tossed the apples with lemon juice and more cinnamon and sugar and laid them into the bottom of the pan. They spread the oat mixture over the apples, chopped the butter into little pieces and sprinkled it on top. Then came the final touch. Grandma Bullerby blew three little kisses 1-2-3, sprinkled on a little bit of nutmeg and popped the dish in the oven.
On Michaelmas day, even though the boys were bubbling over with excitement as Grandma laid the apple crisp on the table, neither one said a word. And when everyone filled their bellies with it and began to declare once again that it was indeed the best apple crisp in the land, they simply shared a smile with Grandma and shook their heads when she said, “It’s my little secret!”
Acacia has been inspired to share many Bullerby stories like this one with her toddler class after by Cynthia who explains how she came to be introduced to the Bullerbys here.
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