Apples!

So in two weeks my friends and I are going to Homestead Farms to pick apples. This is truly one of the most enjoyable activities I will partake in this year. The weather is a key contributing factor here. DC is lovely in the fall and picking apples is a great way to enjoy the season. For one thing, you don't have to bend down to pick apples. For another thing, there is a marked difference between store bought apples and fresh picked apples. It's a more vibrant flavor. One that taste like you are eating a real apple and not just a piece of produce. Among my favorite apples to pick at the farm are the Golden Delicious. In the store, it's a rather blah sweet apple. But on the farm, this is dessert. When you pick a Golden Delicious with just a blush of pink, the flavor is comes alive. This is probably just psychological hooey, but I do feel more energetic and alive after eating a ripe Golden Delicious. I am growing increasingly fond of the Pink Lady apples and the Jonathan apples as well.

In the lead up to the orgy of apple picking, I will be posting apple recipes for the next two weeks. If you hate apples, come back after the 8th.

I want to start with the basic - applesauce. Cannot imagine anything easier. All you have to do is peel and chop apples into chunks. Throw them into a pot and pour enough water so that they aren't sticking to the bottom of the pot. My proportion is usually about 1/2 cup of water for 6 cups of chopped apples. Simmer on low heat covered, stirring ocassionally for about 45 minutes or so until apples break down and look like applesauce. Add cinnamon if you want. Taste and add sugar but if you are getting fresh ripe apples, they already have GOD'S sugar.