Oct 08 2007
Locally Grown
After a lovely day at the Waterford Festival (photos here) in northwestern Virginia, my mother and I stopped at a street side farmer’s market. I lived near this area when I was young, just over the West Virginia line, in the eastern panhandle of the state. Fall was the most wonderful time – and that was all because of the apples. When I was young, we would go straight to the orchard and buy the apples right off the tree. Apple pies, applesauce, and apple butter. Being in the area again brought back some lovely memories from childhood. Mom and I split a half bushel of apples. There were at least fifteen varieties at the farmer’s market, and as soon as you walked up to the stand, you could smell the fragrance.
I had about fifty apples, and had to figure out what to do with them fast… so I pulled out the corer/peeler and the dehydrator. Dried apples are always a tasty treat 
This corer/peeler may be the coolest machine we own (well, that and the Roomba). After coring the apples, I mixed up a little concoction of lemon juice (to keep the apples from shriveling and become leathery) cinnamon, and a smidge of sugar. The dehydrator take anywhere from twelve to twenty four hours to dry the apples out, but it is worth it. Plus, you get a nice autumnal smell of apples and cinnamon in your home! The only downside of the process is that while it takes almost twenty four hours to make them, you can finish off the whole lot in about twenty four seconds… they are delicious!
We have some more apples too… and I may try some oatmeal apple cookies next…
Delicious! My kids love playing with the corer/peeler. Now all we need is a dehydrator!
Oh yum. Apples are my favorite fruit.
MMMMMMMMM! You make me very sorry that I gave my dehydrator to Goodwill!
I love going crazy on the yummy apples this time of year, too! Please post the recipe for the cookies if you make them. Melissa and I are going to go apple picking soon and make some of the delicious things you mentioned. Too bad we can’t share with each other. xoxo
if you have deborah madison’s ‘vegetarian cooking for everyone,’ i highly recommend her apple crisp recipe. i’ve made it a few times this year already.
i’m eager to try making apple butter this year too!
i miss apple picking! we used to go every fall where i grew up in illinois. apple pie and crisps for weeks, plus the delicious apple donuts you can buy at the orchard. i wish i had the kitchen space for a corer and dehydrator! i’d be all over the dried apples!
Nothing says fall like cobbler. Mmmmm. Or, make a big batch of applesauce! I’ve bought some of those little mini applesauce cups and eat like one a day. even after a childhood of taking this nasty medicine that got sprinkled on applesauce, I STILL love the stuff.
I just love dried apples, a very yummy treat. The house smells so good while they’re drying.
Lolly, I hope you are coming to Stitches East and will stop by and see us at Black Water Abbey Yarns again this year.
We’ve been contemplating a dehydrator….may have to seriously consider it now. We went apple picking this weekend, and ended up with an entire bushel. Now I’m frantically looking for recipes to use some of them up. Thinking of Apple Cinnamon Chip muffins…..YUM!!
I’ve never heard of an apple dehydrator – it sounds interesting, must investigate! Definately love your peeler/corer though a definate investment!
My parents have an apple tree in their garden and every year I used to get a huge bag, too much to know what to do with. Baked apples with maple syrup, apple and currant crumble, apple pie with custard oh my list is endless. Never tried the oatmeal apple cookies they sound yum.
x
Apples, apples, everywhere, and believe me, I’m not complaining. I’ve yet to make it out to an orchard. This weekend maybe? But then on my list of things to make is apple sauce and apple crisp. Yummy!
Oh, delicious! That peeler/corer does look pretty cool!
Yum! Apples are definitely a sign of fall. My favorite is applesauce – just cooking the apples with a dash of cinnamon & sugar (or Splenda) & then putting it up in the freezer. In the dreary days of winter it is lovely to pull out a bag of applesauce to add something to the meal.
I love dehydrated apples…every summer I consider getting rid of my dehydrator and then remember the fall apple season and just can’t!
Have you tried other things in there? I’ve had mixed results but pears usually do well and strawberries are incredibly tasty dried; they are so sweet you can barely believe they are fruit and not candy.
my peeler/corerer/slicer is my favorite thing this time of year!!!!!!!
You’ve reminded me of my early childhood in New Jersey, when we lived right next to an orchard and would go over there to buy apples and cider in the Fall. You walked into a building that just had piles of apples, rows of cider dispensers, and nothing else. Payment was based on the honor system. Needless to say, that quaint little place isn’t around anymore.
There is such a difference between home- or locally-grown apples and the ones in the grocery store. I got some from Eastern Market last weekend and the flavor is incredible!
I am also a little buried under apples! I desperately want one of those corer-peeler things. Every fall I say I’m going to get one, and I never actually do.
Last weekend, I made baked apple empanadas (are tthey still empanadas if they aren’t fried?), and I posted the recipe on my Flickr page:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33379423@N00/1508024546/
I have one of those corers! It only gets pulled out around this time of year. JT *loves* apple brown betty, so any time there are apples in our house, there’s a betty for him. I also love to make homemade applesauce. And this year, since I’ve been having so much fun with my ice cream maker, I’m going to try dutch apple sorbet. It’s so fun to play around with a single ingredient, to see how many different things you can do with it.
My mom and her friend went to this festival, too. Small world!
Mmmm, you’re making me think of all things apple.
My brother lives up in Northern California and I got to go apple picking with him last year. So much fun! And my sister in law made this apple pie…I wanted to die, it was so good! Enjoy your fresh apples! YUMMY!
This post is making me hungry and I just ate…go figure. BTW, I like the new look of the blog.
Oh yum, WV apples! I don’t ever remember getting WV apples growing up, but we did go to an orchard in the eastern panhangle to get peaches one year. All of this is reminding me that I really need to pick up a bag of apples and make some apple crisp, applesauce, apple bread, or just baked apples with a little ice cream. I just wish I had one of those nifty corer/peeler things, they are great.
Oh…. apples. My apple/peeler/corer is my favorite kitchen (that and my Kitchenaid)!
looks delish! i love apples but i developed an allergy to them.
Yummy. A dehydrator is on my wish-list for someday. I eat dried fruit like its my job. Why not make my own?
Those apples look splendid!
Can’t wait to see you this weekend!
Hmmmmmmm….how yummy!
Don’t you love that apple corer-peeler-slicer thing? I think it may be one of the best inventions ever. The fact that I am in my thirties does not stop me from trying on the long peels as necklaces and other “apple jewelry”. I have some plans for the same activity in the next few days and now I am extra motivated. Thanks.
Ummmmmmmm. I’m having a bit of a romance with apples myself, these days. It may be time for a pie.
Yummy! Lot’s of work, but lot’s of good memories too!
Ahh, the apple peeler/corer/slicer. I love it’s practicality and medieval-instrument-of-torture quality. With that and an already piecrust (or a simple crumble topping [equal parts sugar and butter; 2 parts flour -- each of these can be played with -- use brown or white sugar; use oatmeal or ground nuts in place of part of the flour. Add raisins or nuts. Cinnamon. Other spices.]), anyone can make a tasty autumnal treat in no time flat. Mmm. I guess I know what’s on the menu tonight.
I’ve actually given a number of these devices as gifts!
This makes me want to go back to the apple orchard! You should have added “food” to your banner!
I totally need to do a sock post….
Oooh, you’ve got all the good tools! Send me a baggie of those apples, will ya?
And thank you for reminding me about apple butter…mmm.
I am so jealous! I was meant to be at Waterford this weekend too, but life got in the way, and all that apple-y goodness on top?! Almost too much to bear. I hope you enjoy them, just not tooo quickly…
Okay, I swear I can smell the aroma of cinnamon and apples over here! I want some of this. Stomach is crowling:) I LOVE apple butter on my wheat toast with a little bit of butter also love apple cider!
The only thing I ever preserved was blueberry jam and blackberry jam which are my favorites to this day. I picked them fresh from our local orchard. There’s something so comforting about being able to pick up fresh fruits from an orchard or Farmer’s Market.
love this series of photos… and the thought of all those apples
my favorite is apple pie!
i’m so excited to be living in apple country during the season… it is such a thrill to see all the different varieties at the farmer’s market! oh and fresh apple cider… mmmm.
xo
We went apple picking a while back and it was so much fun! I didn’t get to do anything with the apples fast enough so we lost some, but boy were they good! I really need to look into a dehydrator…
You have an apple corer AND a roomba?!? Oooh, now I’m jealous…
After a recent apple picking trip I made a big batch of apple sauce in the crockpot. Smelled yummy and warm! (Can something smell warm?)
Oh I cannot live without my roomba – but I just may have to invest in a dehydrator! It sounds delish, and its surely healthy.
Oh, yummy! This brings back memories of my parents’ apple trees. Though it’s not the healthiest, I must confess that my favorite is the apple crisp!
I so want one of those corer/peeler things so I can make some of my own appley goodness next fall.
p.s. I like the new blog design! It’s very chic
[...] pulled down the dehydrator for apple rings – just core and peel, dip the slices in some lemon juice and cinnamon, and set them out to dry over night. Great for [...]