Every fall, some wonderful friends organize a trip to a pick-your-own orchard about an hour away from us. They get up a big group of people and we meet at their house and carpool over. We spend a few hours picking apples and chasing each other around the orchard, then we load back up and go back to their place, where we make apple pies, eat Cuban sandwiches (we add thin apple slices), play games (apple bobbing, anyone?), and end the night watching an outdoor movie while enjoying our fresh apple pies a la mode.
You can check out the state-by-state listing at PickYourOwn.org. They also have recipes for applesauce, apple butter, and apple jelly on that site.
A pick-your-own trip is a great family and friends event. Hop online, find a farm near you, and get a group together to carpool out. Enjoy the day picking the produce, then come on back home with your load of apples and try out a few of these ideas:
- Autumn Salad with fresh diced apples and dried cranberries: Combine fresh spinach (or your choice of greens) with diced apples, dried cranberries, and feta cheese. Toss on a few walnuts or almonds if you’re so inclined, and toss in a vinaigrette. Perfect beside a warm, creamy soup, such as
- Apple Cheddar Soup: this recipe, originally from Better Homes and Gardens, combines potatoes with apple cider, fresh apples, and cheddar cheese for a comforting and filling dish.
- Dried apples are expensive in the grocery store, but not that hard to make at home. Wash, core, and slice the apples in rings. You can peel them or leave them unpeeled. Moisten a large baking sheet with a bit of oil to keep the apples from sticking, then spread the apple rings on the sheet and put in the oven on low heat with the door cracked open. Turn them occasionally. Remove when they are completely dry. You can season them with a bit of cinnamon or nutmeg, if you like, or just enjoy them as is. Store in an airtight container.
- You can make Apple Chips if you prefer them to the still chewy dried apples. Just leave them in the oven longer, until they are past chewy and on to the crackly stage.
- Apple Bread is always good, and I love fresh Apple Cake with a cup of coffee in the morning. Or in the afternoon. Or in the evening…
Image Credit: krayker.
I love bare feet, Dr. Bronner's, cotton skirts, summer rain, winter snow, new places, open-minded people, deep conversations.
I had a (short-lived) natural products company while I was in college: The Full Nelson Natural Products...
I have never had apple bread. I might have to try that one. We go and pick our own apples every year. That apple cheddar soup sounds different also.
[...] It’s Apple Picking Time [...]