Apple Obsession

Pure apple beauty!  Apples ready to go to market.

My heart is full at the number of friends and family supporting local farmers. I love hearing stories from you all about visiting your local farmers markets or stopping at a road side stand to purchase local goods.  Keep it up.  There is nothing better than fresh, local fare and supporting those who work so hard day in and day out.  I know that I have struggled with this in the past.  I would have to plan to go to the farmers market and hope that they have what I needed to make a specific dish or dishes over the following week.  Prices were sometimes higher or I would get there and not really like what I saw because it didn't "match" what the veggie or fruit looked like in the store.  Oh such the city girl I was.  Wait, who am I kidding?!  I am still that same city girl but I am wiser, now that I have gone country.  I now let my trip to the market decide what I make, not determine it ahead of time.  Imperfect looking veggies and fruit are truly perfect because they have literally come off the farm that day or day before.

Right now apples are in season, so I am planning dishes using them.  I am kind of obsessed with apples and wish I was baking and using them more (picky eaters and a husband who isn't home makes it hard to experiment with lots of apple dishes but I am trying).  I was blessed to go on a field trip with Emily's class to our local orchard, Apple Hill (http://applehillorchard.webs.com/).  There were apples everywhere and such a variety.  We picked, we cored and pealed them and then we ate.  Not only did we eat apples, but we ate donuts, specifically apple spice donuts that make my heart melt.  When we walked into the store, all I could think about was, "when I die and go to heaven, this is what my heaven will smell like with maybe a hint of bacon on top."  The warmth from the apples baking in apple pies and turnovers hugged me as I walked in the door and my nose was filled with the smell of yeast, cinnamon and yes, more apples, coming from the homemade donuts.  Aaah, just awesome!

We are so blessed to have Apple Hill orchard just down the road from us and I will be so sad when apple season is over.  Just trying to embrace it as much as I can right now.  Oh and one baked good you will probably not see coming from my home is an apple pie.  My niece, Hannah, makes THE BEST apple pie ever and I am not about to even attempt to make one because it will never compare to her apple pie greatness.

Demonstrating apple picking.  The basket is so cool because you just drop the cloth
that covers the bottom to let the apples out.

Washing and sorting through the apples.  The apples that are bruised or that might
have a small bad spot are taken out and chopped up to be used in pies, applesauce and cider.

My little apple picker.