The Honeycrisp are beautiful! Apple season is coming so fast. We have in the market McIntosh, Gala, Cortland, Mutsu, Jonagold, Northern Spy, Bosc Pears and Stanley Prune Plums. Squash, cornstalks, gourds and pumpkins. Fall is here!
Yes, our apple u-pick is going quick. With the combination of an early season and not as many apples as usual the season for apple picking will probably only last until any longer than the 29th or 30th of September. So lets hope for nice weather for our last week-end of u-pick apples. Now we will have lots of apples in the coolers and our markets will be full with apples until November. Don’t forget to ship the gift pack of apples to the “apple of you eye”! Betsy
It looks like a great week-end to pick apples. Apples available to pick are McIntosh, Gala, Mutsu and Honeycrisp! It is fun and easy on on our close planted smaller trees. Stanley Prune plums are in and taste sweet and good. Squash and pumpkins and starting to pill up around the market. Football is in the air and caramel apples are the snack of the day. Happy Fall everyone! Betsy
Yep, it’s baking time. And I bought too many apples, because that good lookin’ $12 half bushel of Ginger Golds from King Orchards was IRRESISTIBLE.
Here’s my favorite apple cake recipe. I really generally don’t care for baked apple products, but this one is . . . oh good lord. . . you gotta try it. My mom got the recipe from Emma Ellison in Eastport, way back in the 70′s. Mom used to make it for dad’s birthday every year. Sometimes I still do. It’s stupid easy – great recipe for the kids to try out their baking skills.
I’ve added some spices, and I use both brown and granulated sugars. You can doll it up to your liking. I’ve used oil or butter; both are delicious. If you use butter, you may need to adjust the amount of salt you add (unless, of course, you’re using unsalted butter). I’m guessing you could even use applesauce or bananas for some of the sweet / fat ingredients.
This recipe yields one 9×13 glass baking pan. You can also use it as a muffin batter, or dress it up with a crumb topping. Once it’s cooled, sifting powdered sugar through a doily is a cutesy old fashioned thing to do.
The cake is best about 15 minutes out of the oven. The edges will be crusty and chewy, and the cake is moist and dense. It’s also great for the next few days, if there’s any left. Just cover pan with foil or film wrap.
Bake at 350 for approximately 50 minutes. Kinda depends on exactly how many apples you use, and how much moisture they contain. Cake is done when it’s deep golden brown, the edges start to pull away from the pan, and the center has puffed up and is set.
4 cups diced apples – I usually quarter them or cut in 8ths, depending upon size of apples, then slice. Don’t peel!
1 c granulated sugar
1 c brown sugar, loosely packed
3/4 c oil
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla
2 c all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt (I like a high quality sea salt best)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
sprinkle ground cloves
sprinkle ground nutmeg
couple sprinkles ground coriander
1 c chopped walnuts or pecans (optional, of course)
I suggest you use a large mixing bowl and do this by hand with a big ol’ wooden spoon or rubber spatula; I’ve never bothered with a mixer for this cake. The batter is dense and lumpy and it will look like there is absolutely NO way it’s going to turn out. . . but it will.
Stir together flour, sugars, spices, soda and salt.
Slice apples and stir into dry ingredients to coat them.
Add the eggs, oil, and vanilla at once, and stir gently just until combined.
Bake, eat, and feel the love.
The temperatures have dropped and I’m hankering for an apple! Football, cool weather, and labor day makes it feel like fall. This summer was so warm and wonderful but I’m ready for apples, squash and plums. Ginger Gold and Sanza apples are in and we are getting ready to ship. I have new packaging and quality apples to make things wonderful. Think about shipping a package to your favorite person, $25.00 for the apples plus shipping. Don’t wait long the Ginger Gold and Sanzas don’t stick around for long. The first of the squash is in, and now that it is cool we can turn the oven on to cook it. Raspberries are going wild. We pick 116 pints. Were are all those raspberry u-pickers. I’m sticking a bunch in the freezer for raspberry muffins this winter. Off to a football game- Central Lake against Atlanta. Go Mike King and the Trojans!