It’s Apple Harvest Time!
September and October are ideal months for picking apples and making apple-rich recipes – from sweet to savory, entrées and side dishes to desserts…this is one of the traditions of fall – apple harvest time!
Select Savory Apple Options
There are endless possibilities for fall’s favorite fruit — apples of all varieties can be baked and cooked every which way. Dishes like apple pie, cake, crisp and crumble are classic, but that’s really just the start of apple-added possibilities. Apples happen to play just as well in savory recipes, too, like salads, sandwiches, soups and added to entrées.
For breakfast, try the Apple Sausage and Smoked Cheddar casserole from All Recipes, or a Farro Breakfast Bowl from The Kitchn. These yummy morning meals will make you bypass your usual oatmeal and scrambled eggs in favor of other warmer-uppers with plenty of substance and nutrition.
The Kale and Apple Soup with Butternut Squash and Apple and Sage Soup from The Kitchn are two more recipes chock full of classic flavors and savory ingredients for the discriminating palate.
Try the Pork Chops and Apples with Garlic Smashed Potatoes from the Food Network, or blend sweet chunks of apple with bacon and caramelized onions and then pop into a flaky pastry triangle for an indulgent morning, noon or evening meal. This Chunky Pork and Apple Stew is made with hard apple cider and apple cider vinegar to insure that it’s full of fall flavor and plenty of tang.
Apples add much to recipes with a seasonal feel – like Taste of Home’s Apple and Walnut Stuffed Pork Loin and German Bratwurst with Sauerkraut and Apples.
Sweet Snacks, Sides and Desserts
Homemade Yogurt with Apple Compote is one of those recipes from the Food Network that sounds like more work than it is. Making yogurt takes time, but not a lot of effort. Just combine whole milk, dry milk and maple syrup for about 30 minutes – long enough to boil and cool, then sit in a warm spot for 18 hours. The longer it sits, the tangier and thicker the yogurt will be! And the compote is easy to simmer on the stove when you’re ready for the topper-offer. Taste of Home is another reliable source for tasty apple recipes, from Apple Gingerbread Skillet Cake to Grandma’s Apple Cake (AKA Oma’s Apfelkuchen!).
Southern Living offers more than 70 apple recipes from two-ingredient Apple Chips shriveled in a 225º-oven for two hours, to 10-Minute Sauteed Apple Crisp. You’ll find a festive Caramel Apple Cake, topped with sauteed apple slices and drizzled with Apple-Brandy Caramel Sauce, Apple Bread Pudding topped with cooked apples and a drizzle of Apple Brandy Creme Anglaise, and Caramel Apple Blondie Pie.
Apple-Berry Brown Betty is a healthy dessert that still satisfies the sweet tooth, with apples and blackberries combined and topped with crumbled sugar cones. And you can make your own Caramel Apple Sangria with pecan-flavored vodka, fresh apple cider, cinnamon sticks, sparkling wine and caramel-dipped apple slices. It’s one seasonal sipper you’ll want from now till New Year’s!
Pick Your Own Fruit
Part of a historic century-old farm specializing in heirloom apples, YA YA Farm & Orchard is a U-Pick-It Apple Orchard located in Longmont. You can load up on ripe apples, and enjoy several family-oriented fall activities, too.
When you visit the farm stand and orchard you’ll see lots of farm animals – from the impressive Percheron Draft Horses, to mini donkeys, chickens, ducks, and peacocks. Pack a picnic lunch and bring it with you and for dessert, tuck into all things apple from the farm stand – from apple cider donuts to apple pies!
Admission is $3 per person and $12 per bag of apples. Email the farm to see about waitlisting for picking (they’re usually sold out by now), but even if they’re full-up, you can always get apples at the farm stand, just off of Ute Hwy.
Come Home to Colliers Hill!
Minutes from historic downtown Erie is the thriving master-planned community of Colliers Hill. Life’s not just more convenient here, it’s better on the Hill! Stop by and tour the beautiful model homes from KB Home, Century Communities and Richmond American Homes – and coming soon, Boulder Creek. Priced from the $400s, this fast-growing new home community in Northern Colorado has lots of exciting amenities to offer new home buyers, too!
