Baking isn't heavy lifting _ unless you attempt a slab pie and the slab measures 21 by 15 inches. Then, it demands core strength.
You make this discovery after slicing 15 pounds of apples, rolling 6 pounds of pastry, grinding 2 pounds of crumble and sprinkling 1 pound of sugar. Grasping two corners of the pan, you tug. Hard. Muscling 24 pounds of pie into a hot oven, you learn, is easy _ compared with getting it out.
The downside of the 21-inch wide, 400-degree slab pie strikes you _ right at T7, mid-thoracic spine. Justin, the physical therapist you later engage, identifies the spot when he prods your back and declares: "Here?" Followed by: "What were you lifting again?"
Justin prescribes stretches and crunches, which you attempt to work, while he and his colleagues plan their weekend of hiking and apple picking, followed by apple-cider doughnuts. It occurs to you that doughnuts, too, feature fall's best fruit. They're quick, delicious _ and extremely lightweight.
