An apple a day keeps the doctor away!

This past Thanksgiving weekend my family and I went on our yearly trip to the apple farm, but instead of going to the Al Ferri & Sons farm, we decided to drive further down Heritage road to support smaller family-owned farms. It wasn’t long until I spotted a sign that said “Apple & Pear picking.” To my disappointment, when I arrived at the farm I found out that pear season had just come and gone! The owner of the farm told me that I could scour through the trees and with any luck I could be able to find some. Well, I decided to take the challenge. After circling around all the pear trees I had no luck but then, all of a sudden, I spotted one large, perfectly-shaped pear dangling from one of the branches of the tree. The only thing between me and pear was distance! It wasn’t long before I found myself climbing up the tree to capture that one special pear. To my surprise, as I was halfway up the tree, it was honestly like a whole new world up there. Every step I took, I spotted more and more pears. At the end, I was able to pick enough pears to fill a small 3-lb basket!


Now that I had 2 bushels of freshly-picked apples in my kitchen floor, it called for an apple dessert making marathon! One of my favorite ways to eat apples is to slice them up, toss them with a bit of cinnamon and then bake at 350oC for about 15 minutes, lastly, serve alongside a scoop of all-natural vanilla gelato! Absolutely the best comfort food ever. What are you favorite ways to eat apples - pie, strudel, galette, pudding, cobbler or crumble?

Which is good for what?

	Courtland	Fuji	Gala	Golden Delicious	Granny Smith
Harvest	September	Late October	September	October	Late October
Quality	Milk flavor, tender, crisp texture, slightly tart	Firm, juicy, low-acidity, very sweet	Crisp, dense flesh with mild, sweet flavour	Large yellow fruit, very sweet, thin skinned	Crisp and tart
Use	Fresh-eating, salads, baking	Excels as salad, fresh-eating	Fresh-eating	Fresh-eating, dessert, sauce, pies, baking, freezing	Baking, sauce, juice

	Jonagold	McIntosh	Mutsu	Northern Spy	Red Delicious
Harvest	Mid-September	September	Late October	Late October	Late-September
Quality	Slightly tart flavour, tender texture	Very spicy, aromatic, slightly tart flavour, crisp texture	Crisp, juicy, tart	Tangy, robust, juicy, firm	Sweet flavour, tough, bitter skin
Use	Fresh-eating pies	Fresh-eating, salads, sauce, pies, baking	Fresh-eating, sauce	Baking, fresh-eating, all-purpose	Fresh-eating, salad

Adapted from: http://www.applejournal.com/

I’m pretty sure you’ve all hard this saying, but are apples really that good for you? You bet! Apples are a great source of vitamin C, boron, a trace mineral that helps harden bones and are packed full of fibre! So get out there and enjoy the brisk air and bite into a crisp and juicy apple today! If you want to buy them instead, make sure to choose firm apples that are free of bruises or soft spots. Overripe apples will give off ethylene gas, causing nearby produce to spoil. Remember that apples can be stored in the fridge for up to one month, or in a cool, dark place for longer.
Below are two healthy and easy baked apple treats for you to test out after your apple picking adventure! Be sure to let me know how you liked the recipes!

Apple Crumble (makes 4 servings)

What you need:

• 3 apples, cored & sliced
• 2 tbsp brown sugar (optional)
• 1 cups large oats
• 1/3 cup butter*
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

**The colder the butter the better. You can even use frozen butter!

Make it:

1.  PREHEAT oven to 350oF. Place sliced apples in an ovenproof dish.
2. CUT in butter into oats, until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. SPRINKLE oat mixture over apples and bake for 30 minutes or until the top is browned and the apples are bubbling.

Apple Phyllo Parcels (makes 4 servings)

What you need:

• 2 apples, sliced
• ¼ cup butter, melted
• 4 sheets of phyllo pastry
• 2 tbsp raspberry/apricot jam
• 1 tbsp 100% orange juice

Make it:

1. PREHEAT oven to 400oF. Lay out a sheet of phyllo (one at a time) and brush with melted butter. Place another sheet on top and repeat until you have 4 layers. Cut into 4 equal sized square pieces.
2. ARRANGE sliced apples in the centre of each piece of phyllo evenly. Mix jam and juice together and brush over the apple slices.
3. BRING opposite corner of the phyllo together and twist all four corners to form the shape of a flower. Repeat with the remaining pieces and bake for 12-15 minutes or until slightly browned.