2025, Food, Kids, Seasons

Bye Bye Apples, Bye Bye

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On apple picking day, as we put our peck and a half on the scale at the paying shed, it just didn’t look like enough apples.  It’s the amount we’ve gotten for the last couple of years; we looked at each other and had the same thought – we need more.  Since I was already hobbling around with the big brace on my knee, we bought a pre-picked bag and added it to the scale.  Three quarters were Connell Red (my favorites) and the last quarter were Honeycrisp (YA’s favorite).  I do like the Honeycrisp and I wish it were my favorite since it’s a home-grown Minnesota apple.  But the Connell Red was introduced in Wisconsin and is said to be the “offspring” of the Fireside which IS a Minnesota apple.  Close enough for me.

Apple crisp is a staple for us during the fall.  My recipe is based one I found in the Apple Cookbook that I bought decades ago from the Afton Apple Orchard.  We add cinnamon to the apples and we use two times the topping that the recipe calls for.  In fact, I usually make several batches of the topping all at once and put the extra in the fridge.  That way making an apple crisp is really just a matter of cutting up the apples.

Our other favorite is an Apple Manchego Salad.  I had this at the Loring Café years ago and chef was gracious enough to give me the recipe.  (I’ve since found the exact same recipe online so I don’t think I’m as special as the chef made me feel at the time!)  It’s pretty simple.  3-4 apples (depending on size) cut into matchsticks.  Then 4-5 ounces of manchego cheese, also cut into matchsticks.  I use the mandoline for this, making it quite a fast salad but you can certainly chop by hand if you need.  About ¼ cup of chives, chopped fairly finely.   A splash of lemon juice (no more than a teaspoon), about three tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper.  Done.  I made this salad at least three times this fall and despite it saying “8 servings”, YA and I have made it disappear in less than 24 hours each time. Then there are the hand pies, which I think I promised I wouldn’t talk about too much.  Made them twice this year.

Yesterday I decided it was time to use up the last 7 apples that have been stored on the back porch.  Since I had some crisp topping left, I made an apple crisp and then with the very last two apples, I made a teeny French apple cake, using my 6” springform pan (which I never get to use enough).   This is the first time I’ve tried the cake recipes – we’ll see if YA likes it – she gets back later today from her latest trip.

Of course, crisp apples with peanut butter slathered on them are the premiere snack at this time of year!

Any fall favorites that you’ll miss until next year?

30 thoughts on “Bye Bye Apples, Bye Bye”

  2. I almost added a second question – what “fall foods” WON’T you miss. For me that would be the glut of pumpkin stuff out there. With extremely few exceptions (like the pumpkin walnut bread from Breadsmith or my pumpkin gooey butter cake), I steer away from all things pumpkin!

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    2. Wow. Your eyes must’ve been right on the trail at exactly the right moment. I accidentally hit publish instead of schedule yesterday when I was working on Gulls’ Nest. It was only published for about 30 seconds. Anyway, it’s up for tomorrow.

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  4. I am making a raspberry cream pie, a pear cranberry crumble pie, and a pecan praline pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. I typically don’t eat pumpkin either, but Son asked me to make it.

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      1. It is really easy.

        Put 4c. Fresh raspberries in a 9 inch pastry lined pie plate.

        Mix together 2/3 c. Sugar, 4T. flour, 1/4 t cinnamon, and 1 c heavy cream.

        Pour over berries. Bake at 400° for 35-45 minutes until filling is set and crust is nicely browned. Let cool.

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        1. Sounds great and very easy. YA and I are taking a cranberry cheesecake crumble that has crust filling, cranberries and topping so for separate things to make and then assemble . This was YA’s idea not mine. And of course, my world renowned vegetarian sourdough stuffing.

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  5. Rise and Shine Baboons,

    Not a pumpkin eater here either. I am making an apple and a cherry pie for dessert with rum whipped cream. I think it is the spice combination with pumpkin that I do not care for. I have never liked cloves much. I find the beloved pumpkin latte to be revolting and too orange for coffee. However, I will miss hard squash. I love squash cups and squash apple soup. My favorite combo of apples for a crisp or a pie is equal parts Haraldson and McIntosh. I froze 3 pies worth of pie filling with that combo.

    OT: Blevins people at the last meeting, check your email. John Scalzi posted a hilarious picture of the local pond rules on Blue Sky yesterday. It made me smile all day. VS, you could use the picture and make a post about rules if you are seeking a topic.

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    1. It does go fast. I grew up in a part of the country that has serious spring and serious autumn. The autumn I don’t miss quite as much but boy the thought of that long wonderful spring makes me misty eyed every year.

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      1. pay attention or spring will jump you out of nowhere. no one ever seems to mind that though. i spent one winter in southern California and was really disappointed when i got home in march that california nothing winter had taken the place of my heartfelt minnesota winters that make march april may so wonderful. a week or two in florida or warmer local is a break, a season missed is a season missed. you missed a nice fall this year clyde. ive got a feeling warm colorful autumns will be around for another while with climate change locking in on the new normal.
        i read about coffee growers in columbia needing to move coffee plants further up the mountain because of warmer weather, french vineyards moving to uk,

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  7. Our farm was too far north to grow pumpkins in the 50’s but not squash. My childhood pumpkin pies were squash pies. I liked them. As an adult I will eat a piece of pumpkin pie with ice cream but that’s about it. Maybe I remember the squash pies. Never been an apple pie fan.
    I love fall, more up north than here. I miss the Sunday trips into the forest with our kids. I like chill in the air, fires on the beach or in the backyard with our neighbors. Those are the fall to me, not happened for 25 years now. Sandra loved fall in all the ways I did.

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  8. OT.

    Sunday, January 11
    Occasional Caroline’s
    2 p.m.

    Remarkably Bright Creatures (Shelby Van Pelt)
    &
    All the Beauty in the World (Patrick Bringley)

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  11. i love sweet corn, watermelon, morels, bing cherries. asparagus stone crab (my only flesh) and apples, once upon a time when the season passed it was over. today many are available almost year round, i dont mind pumpkin spice or that early new red wine the is celebrated in about march (drawing a blank) i just dont like them so i can ignore.
    pomegranites are appreciated, raspberries and blueberries but that is year round now
    2 years ago december i broke my leg. i do not like fresh bone breaks. thanks pj for help getting past that
    i love fresh and also maturing ideas regardless of season
    happy holidays baboons
    my family will all be here thursday
    thankful
    fresh new grandkids are great

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  12. I like pumpkin and squash. I’m not crazy about the pumpkin spice coffee but I don’t even drink coffee anymore, so it doesn’t matter. I didn’t have any pumpkin breads or muffins or treats this year, too busy with other things. Pumpkins and squash are related, and so similar that I don’t see much difference, except in texture. I always stock up on winter squash, roast them, then freeze it so I have plenty of squash all winter. I still have quite a few honey crisp apples too. Now I’m hungry.

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  14. I used to be able to find Haralson apples in the store every fall. No luck on those anymore. So much space is taken up by the Honeycrisp and SweetTango and those other newfangled ones – no room any more for the old standbys. Can’t even find Braeburns anymore. Winesaps disappeared decades ago.

    I like pumplin pie and pumpkin soup, but I will pass on the pumpkin lattes.

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    1. You need to go to the farmers’ market for Haralson apples. I love pumpkin soup, and make several iterations of it using canned pumpkin puree; so may possibilities. Just make sure that the canned pumpkin is 100% pure pumpkin and not some pumpkin pie spiced concoction.

      Winter is here, folks!

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