Apples

We finally made it to the apple orchards, and just in the nick of time, it seems.  If you’ve gone already, you know that this has been a really bad year for apples, so pickings are slim.  If you were haven’t gotten around to it yet, I’d go as soon as you possibly can, and I’d call any place first to make sure that there are some apples still on the trees.

Careful there, J!

We took Julie’s advice and tried out Lindsey’s on Columbus Day.  She was right:  the ladders were hugely popular with my girls.  It was quiet there even while it was hopping down the road at Bowman’s.  Between the quiet and getting to climb the ladders ourselves, we could almost pretend that it was our orchard.  Now, the ladders were a little scary, but I just love that they provide access to them.  I mean, seriously, it’s nice when someone isn’t immediately assuming that there will be tragedies and lawsuits.

Anyway, even though we’re at the end of the apple season, I thought that I’d share my favorite apple treat.

Apple-Cranberry Crisp
Mix together in a casserole dish:

5-7 medium apples, peeled and sliced thinly—sometimes we’ll sub in a couple of pears for variety

1 cup cranberries

Then pour 3 T maple syrup over it and sprinkle 1 T flour on top.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Then mix together:

½ cup flour

½ cup oatmeal

3 T chopped walnuts

½ cup brown sugar

2 t cinnamon

½ t salt

½ cup butter

1/3 cup maple syrup

Put the mixture on top of the fruit.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes.

This recipe was loosely based on one in a random cookbook from my sister’s house that I copied years ago–I’m sorry that I can’t remember the source better.  Of course, adding some vanilla ice cream isn’t a terrible idea, but without it, you could justify serving it for breakfast, almost.