Autumn is coming.

Melissa surprised me yesterday by bringing apples picked from a local apple orchard for the children's tea.  Good ones, too -- a crunchy, sweet, light green variety called Ginger Gold, and another green-blushing-to-red, tender-fleshed sweet one -- don't remember the name.

"You're kidding -- apples are ripe already?!"

"Not many but some.  We went to pick raspberries, and they said we could try apples off the tree and if we found some that were ripe, pick more." 

 (I love the bounty of apple orchards.  Pick one, take a bite, finish it if you like or throw it on the ground and look for a more auspicious tree.)

I'll give it a few more weeks, I think, even though some of the early apples are my favorites.  Most of the year you go around eating Granny Smiths and Fujis from the grocery store, and they're pretty good, you know, the default fruit, nice with peanut butter or a slice of Tilsit cheese, but nothing really special.  And then autumn comes, and you pick apples from the apple orchard and -- wow!  It's like a completely different fruit.  Every variety is like a completely different fruit.  Mind-blowing, how good the orchard apples can be in September and October.  

I think I've found a recipe for Sunday-morning breakfasts this autumn:  Kristin's Non-Traditional Dutch Apple Pancake.  A little bit of sautéing, a little bit of baking, and you're good to go.

Comments

[Amy F]

We went to Apple Jack Orchard last Friday. I was picking up a box of Michigan peaches, but we picked 17 lbs of apples, too. Paula Reds (which make pretty pink sauce) and State Fairs. I like to get to orchards every month, starting in August, to get a wide variety of apples. The summer ones are cheaper because they're less good for eating and more for baking and sauce. I found seconds for under 50 cents/lb last year. Even Honeycrisps go down to $1/lb by Christmas when they're trying to get rid of whatever's left. My basement is almost a root cellar, it's so cold down there, and apples store quite a while.

[Christy P.]

We never can find Honeycrips that cheap - probably because they aren't grown here. If I planted an apple tree though, it would be a Honeycrisp. Enjoy the bounty of the Midwest! It's not all corn!

[Kim (in IA)]

Hey Erin,
There is an awesome apple orchard about 10 minute drive from our house. Could be a fun activity with the kids...
Hope you are doing well!
Kim

[Kristin]

Hi! Just noticed your linkback to my Dutch apple pancake recipe. Let me know if you tried it and what you thought! Hope it turned out okay. :)
-K