It is still pretty warm out there. The sun is still shooting death rays at us and I am still slathering on the sunscreen, but the shadows are growing longer and the sun sets earlier. There was a wind out of the north yesterday that teased us with an exotic tinge of coolth which Luke the wonder dog and I enjoyed as we trotted through our daily paces. And there is the rising of the Super-Harvest Blood Moon (and lunar eclipse) on Sunday that is sure to be a spectacle. (https://earthsky.org/?p=51212) And next week it is October! I have even found myself flipping through the Bean catalogue, eagerly eyeing some sweaters, as I count down the days to cooler weather. I am going to have to order some new turtlenecks this season…
I am still playing grasshopper, though and am not quite ready for the big move indoors. There is still plenty of time to enjoy the changing leaves, and the colorful displays of pumpkins and chrysanthemums popping up on everyone’s front porch. Some rain the other day brought down a lot of crape myrtle leaves, and I felt positively Parisian as I shuffled through them. (Not so exotic or pleasant was my first encounter with stinky ginkgo fruit! My delicate sensibilities were taxed to the extreme, while Luke thought it was just the best part of that day’s walk. Dogs.)
It is apple time now. And different dishes call for different kinds of apples. How do we pick them? Do we need baking apples or eating apples? What is a baking apple? I tend to pick the biggest, shiniest apples I can find, much to Joni Mitchell’s consternation, I am sure. Bon Appétit magazine says there are three good baking apples: Honeycrisp, Mutsu and Pink Ladies. But they also like Granny Smiths. They are nice and crisp, and are not prone to mushiness or graininess. They hold up to the heat, and your creation is not reduced to glop. https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/cooking-tips/article/the-3-best-apples-to-use-for-baking
The Farmers’ Almanac has a handy-dandy chart for which apples are best suited to various dishes: sauces, cider, pie and baking. https://www.almanac.com/content/best-apples-baking
The Cook’s Thesaurus also has suggestions for the best apples for every situation, whether you are eating the apple that someone has lovingly tucked into your lunchbox, or if you are trying for an innovative Waldorf salad: https://www.foodsubs.com/Apples.html
The Food Lab did all the heavy lifting for us in trying out many varieties of apples for apple pie: Braeburn, Cortland, Empire, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, McIntosh, Red Delicious, Rome and Royal Gala. You can see their fine scientific research baking 10 pies with 10 different apples here: https://sweets.seriouseats.com/2011/10/the-food-lab-what-are-the-best-apples-for-apple-pies-how-to-make-pie.html
The names of apples are also poetical – so much better than paint color names! Where does your imagination wander when you mull these possibilities?
Ambrosia
Spartan
Pink Lady
Northern Spy (we should be marketing this apple for our Spy brand!)
Gala
Cameo
Pippin
Crab Transcendent
Lady Alice
Orleans Reinette
Rubens
Here are some apple crisp recipes to get you going with some easy peasy autumn desserts:
Apple Crisp – using Granny Smith and Gala apples.
https://www.lyndasrecipebox.com/2010/10/delicious-apple-crisp.html
Apple Crisp – using Winesap apples.
https://smalltownoven.wordpress.com/2010/10/11/apple-crisp-review/
Apple Crisp – using Granny Smith and Honey Crisp apples.
https://www.mybakingaddiction.com/inside-out-apple-crisp/
Apple Crisp – using the ubiquitous Golden Delicious apples.
https://www.twotwentyone.net/fall-favorite-apple-crisp/
I stuck my toe into apple season pool with some applesauce the other night when I prepared this completely deelish dinner for Mr. Friday: Herb-Crusted Pork Chops with Balsamic Onions. I also chopped up a quick side of coleslaw and served dinner with atmospheric candles and the requisite inexpensive Chardonnay. Yumsters. https://food52.com/recipes/974-herb-crusted-pork-chops-with-balsamic-onions
And thanks to Martha’s tastefully good living, we had some applesauce. Let the apple games begin! https://www.marthastewart.com/872914/classic-applesauce
“What goes up must come down.”
― Isaac Newton
Hall says
Fall reminds me of harvesting our 3,000 tree apple orchard in Vermont. After 20 years in Big Biz, we decided to raise our children in a less hectic atmosphere So we did what most of my executive friends only talked about … we bought the farm, leaving the country clubs and joining the Grange. Despite hardships and disappointments, eventually, it was a success. Our journey back to the land nurtured close family ties that make our life rich in many ways. Our four children, who cheerfully shared the hard work with us, learned values which have made a positive and visible difference in their lives, to this day. Looking back at our toil and troubles and eventually reaching our goals, we can say: ‘We Did It Together – We Did It Ourselves.
But come …my wife and let us try, before we die,
To make some sense of life.
We’re neither pure, nor wise, nor good… we’ll do the best we know.
We’ll build our house and chop our wood
And make our garden grow…
—Voltaire/Bernstein, “Candide”