Little Green Apples

If it's July, it's Summer Apple Pickin' Time.

The first apples of the season are Yellow Transparent and the child it had when it crossed with Montgomery. They named their baby "Lodi". Both are thin-skinned and extremely tart. And they don't last long.

So...what good are they?

SAUCE!

And yesterday I baked an apple/raisin/nut quick bread with Lodi apples for the first time to check out how the apples would hold up (they did) and it is fantastic! More about that later.

First: to make sauce. For this blog post I used one quart of apples. It took 20 minutes from start to finish and yielded a pint of sauce.

Begin by rinsing the apples under running water.

Next, quarter and core the apples. No need to peel them as the skins are very thin and will separate from the flesh when cooked. Plus, there's a lot of good nutrition at skin level. :)

 

Cook with about 1/4 cup of water over low heat. As the apples begin to cook down you can turn up the heat to speed up the process. Stir often to make sure the apples are not sticking to the bottom of the pan. If the sauce gets too thick before the apples are cooked down, add another splash of water. The cooking time takes about 12 minutes.

 

The apples nearly sauce themselves when cooked. When done, run the apples in a food mill or sieve, like this one, to remove the skins and make a nice, smooth sauce.

 

 

That's all there is to it! I added 1/2 cup of white sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and a dash of nutmeg. Honey is also an excellent sweetener. For Lodi and Transparent, I do not recommend using maple syrup, which is really tasty on other varieties of applesauce such as yellow delicious.

Now for that apple bread!

Lodi Apple Bread

If you don’t have time to make Lodi applesauce you can substitute commercially prepared apple sauce.

Directions

Dry mix:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. apple pie spice or a combo of cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg and allspice
2 cups white sugar

Wet mix
1/2 cup Lodi applesauce
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups peeled, cored, diced Lodi apples
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 cup golden or regular raisins
1/3 cup chopped dates

Whisk together all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together applesauce, oil and eggs.

Add remaining ingredients to wet mix. Add wet mix to dry, stirring just until combined. The batter will be very dry. Place in 2 small bread pans that have been well greased and floured.

Bake in 350 degree oven for about an hour. Allow to cool in pans for at least 1/2 hour. Remove from pans very carefully.

Marcheta *the "Apple Lady" strikes again!

Harvest Season has Begun!

Just a couple of short months ago I published pics of the orchard in bloom. In just a few short weeks, we'll be filling crates with fruit. In fact, we've already harvested and sold out of our Lodi and Yellow Transparent apples. 

Next on the agenda are sweet red pears and Wealthy apples. Of all the things that go on around here, the orchard is what I am most involved in. During harvest my focus moves from writing and photography to harvesting, preserving, and selling tree fruit. Having two great farmers markets really helps in the selling department!

The brochure with our apple and pear varieties and their uses is almost done. Before, I included separate information handouts for each type. This way, I will have all the information in one document, which will also let people know when certain varieties become ready to harvest. 

Today is Sunday, though, and I am giving all of this a rest :) 

Marcheta *relaxin' 

Easy Apple Crisp

 
It may seem early in the season to most people for apples to be ready to harvest because we think of apples as an autumn crop. Here in Ohio, we have two early varieties that ripen in July: Lodi and Yellow Transparent.
 
 
This year we have a good crop of both Lodi and Yellow Transparent. I have to hustle fast to get them used up and sold because these apples ripen fast and are not keepers. The best uses are for applesauce, pies, and crisps. Both are very tart. If you like extremely tart apples, these will definitely pack a punch in a salad or eaten raw!
 
 
Here is the recipe that I am going to use to make a crisp today with a few exceptions. I found it at Island Hearth and Handicrafts.  The only thing that I will do differently is to simply mix the topping ingredients together in a bowl and cut in the butter with a knife. Oh, and I also add a teaspoon or so of cinnamon in the topping mix. :)

If you have apple pie spice in your cupboard and that is what you like better, then substitute it. This is the glory of making crisps, we can customize them to fit our tastes.
 
 
Easy Apple Crisp
 
Fruit layer:
3 - 4 pounds of fresh apples, peeled and sliced, tossed with a blend of 1 - 2 teaspoon of cinnamon and  1/2 to 1 cup of sugar (depending on tartness of apple and how sweet you like your dessert to be).
 
 
Topping:
 
1 c. rolled oats
1 c. flour (can use whole wheat pastry if you like)
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt OR 1/2 teaspoon table salt
 
Pulse the ingredients in a food processor until combined.
Next add
1/2 c. butter that is chilled and cut into small pieces.
Pulse until butter is cut into flour/oat mixture
 
Grease a 9 x 12 baking dish. Layer apples into dish and cover with topping.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes - one hour, until apples are soft in the middle and bubbling at the edges.


A side benefit to making this crisp is the wonderful aroma that will fill your home :)

Marcheta * putting on baker's hat