It’s Apple Pickin’ Time!
One of the best places to pick apples in Colorado is at the Ya Ya Farm and Orchard in Longmont. Apples are ripe NOW so get your reservation in (by email to: info@yayafarmandorchard.com) and confirm your visit ASAP. Plan for an hour to pick apples, meet the animals (Percheron draft horses, chickens, turkeys and peacocks) and eat apple donuts with a cup of apple cider!
Now, what to do with all those apples you foraged at the farm? We’ve rounded up apple recipes, from entrees and salads to desserts, and just about anything in between that you can add an apple to!
Cakes, Donuts and Turnovers!
The Apple Harvest Pound Cake from All Recipes with caramel glaze is a winning Bundt cake recipe from one family’s vintage recipe box. With apples, walnuts, cinnamon, brown sugar and vanilla extract – this yummy cake received mostly five stars from reviewers – some of whom double the caramel glaze because they couldn’t get enough!
If you have a Dutch oven and a little patience, Bobby Flay’s classic Apple Cider Donuts recipe will keep you from having to make a return visit to the Ya Ya Farm every time you’re craving one of these!
Spoon University will teach you how to make Apple Turnovers that you’ll want to eat for breakfast lunch and dinner. Using a sheet of puff pastry from the grocery store makes these flaky apple pastries easy to make (prep time 10 minutes) and you only have to wait 35 minutes to scoop on some ice cream and devour!
For more sweet apple harvest recipes, visit the Food Network page devoted exclusively to the bounty from your apple picking adventures!
Creative Apple Eats
From Trial and Eater, an apple nachos snack for kids and adults – sliced apples topped with melted and drizzled peanut butter and chocolate. Vegetarian blogger Kelly says you can get even more creative with your toppings and calls this the best dessert snack she’s ever made.
For an apple butter you can bake in a slow cooker and slather on everything from bread and biscuits to pancakes, banana bread, sweet potatoes, ice cream and even more apples, try the recipe from Loaves and Dishes. And don’t miss blogger Wendy’s Apple Pecan Waffles and Fried Apple Cake recipes!
Have you ever tasted Sweet Potato and Apple Fruit Leather? Us either. But now you can with this recipe from Susan at Learning and Yearning. It’s a great treat and simple to make because it’s pureed fruit (and/or veggies) that is spread thin and dehydrated until leathery. It’s the perfect on-the-go snack and you don’t need to refrigerate it.
Another great snack? Baked Cinnamon Apple Chips. This Delish recipe uses three ingredients – apples sugar and cinnamon – thinly sliced and placed on a baking sheet in a 200º oven for three hours. You can also use an air fryer, which only takes about 12 minutes!
Apples Sweet to Savory
This Cooking Channel recipe for pork chops uses one or two pieces of the firm fruit for the perfect fall meal – juicy seared Pork Chops atop a Fennel-Apple Slaw. Prep time is minimal (10 minutes) and the apple cider vinegar, grainy mustard and whiskey (optional – but why leave it out?!) creates a kickin’ slaw sauce!
We found two Apple Cider Chicken recipes from the Food Network, the first that pairs chicken legs and thighs with apples, pearl onions and plenty of fresh herbs (chives, tarragon and chervil). The other recipe simmers chicken breasts, thyme, garlic and sweet onions in the cider on your stovetop. Kind of makes your mouth pucker, doesn’t it?
Spoon University’s Farro and Arugula Salad, with sweet potatoes, apple and chickpeas is the sort of dish you may not have tried, but farro is a great grain for salads. It’s like oatmeal but heartier and more substantial and by adding savory sweet potatoes and sweet apples, it offers a nice contrasting crunch.
For dozens more recipes – from Pumpkin Spice Apples, Apple Turkey Sausage, Brie and Apple Grilled Cheese sandwiches to Apple Chickpea Hash, visit Spoon University’s online cookbook.
Applefest Near Colliers Hill
Don’t miss Ya Ya Farm’s Applefest, with live bluegrass music, unlimited hay rides, and a meal of BBQ chicken and pork, mac ‘n’ cheese, chili beans and apple cider donuts on October 19 and 20. It’s only 30 minutes from your front door in the master-planned community of Colliers Hill. Visit the model homes offered by Meritage Homes, Richmond American Homes, and Century Communities, explore the amenities and find the perfect ranch-style or two-story design — priced from the high $300s.
