In the Kitchen
This Issue Contents | Recipe | Home Plan | Publishers notes
IT’S A SUNNY autumn afternoon. The skies are clear and blue, the clouds fluffy and white. The air is crisp, just this side of cool; it’s almost sweatshirt weather.
It’s a perfect day for an orchard visit, a perfect day to nibble apple slices, sip cider and savor a caramel. In fact, it’s a perfect day for a stroll in which twigs will snap beneath your feet and leaves will catch in your hair. Visiting an orchard is a great outing no matter what your age. It can be a low-key first date, an adventure for a young couple with little kids, or a way for Mom and Dad to spend a few quality hours with kids home from college for the weekend. The sunshine and promise of fresh-from-the-tree fruit make it attractive for everyone from toddlers to retirees.
You can choose from small, quaint orchards that offer a quiet slice of Americana to large, bustling orchards that seem to rival the Minnesota State Fair in the number of attractions and patrons. And, of course, there are countless orchards that fall somewhere in between. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Minnesota Grown Directory provides a comprehensive listing of orchards as well as berry patches, greenhouses, buffalo farms, farmers’ markets and other products and services available directly from growers. You will find, for instance, a listing for Hansen’s Harvest near tiny Adrian in extreme southwestern Minnesota. Hansen’s, which offers hayrides, crafts and Minnesota-made products, specializes in apple varieties developed in Minnesota. You also will find a listing for Maple Hills Orchard near Detroit Lakes, a few hours north of Hansen’s. At Maple Hills, you can visit the Apple House Store to buy specialty coffees, teas, cider and gift items. The “Apples” section of the directory index lists 75 Minnesota communities that are home to orchards. But that doesn’t mean there are only 75 orchards. Some towns, such as Delano, have three: Ames Farm, Apple Jack Orchards and Fall Harvest Orchard. Many Minnesota orchards offer special weekend events. At Holmberg Orchard near Vesta (west of Redwood Falls), for instance, you can make apple butter over an open fire. Weather can lead to changes in event dates, so before getting into the car visit www.holmbergorchard.com for an update. While apples taste great all by themselves, we Minnesotans have a penchant for turning apples into main dishes, side dishes and desserts. The following recipes come to you compliments of Minnesota orchards.
Recipes - Good Eats
Pork Chops 2 Tbsp. butter Brown pork chops on both sides. Place apple slices in greased baking dish. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over apples. Add pork chops. Cover and bake in 325-degree oven for 1½ hours. Serves six. Source: Pleasant Valley Orchard, |
Classic Apple Crisp 3 cups apples Mix and put into a greased 8x8 pan. Topping: Mix topping ingredients. Put crumbly mixture on top of apples. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Source: Pleasant Valley Orchard, Taylors Falls |
Honeycrisp 1 box shell macaroni Place cooked and cooled macaroni, turkey, celery, onion and apples in large bowl. Stir gently. Mix Miracle Whip and sugar together and fold into macaroni and turkey mixture. Chill for at least 1 hour. Fold in pecans right before serving. Source: Holmberg Orchard, Vesta |
Applesauce It is best to prepare the applesauce shortly before you intend to eat it, as the color becomes somewhat brownish if stored in the refrigerator for a day or two. Slice the apples into quarters and remove the core. Place the apple quarters in the container of a blender. Add the lemon juice to help preserve the color. Add the cinnamon. Cover the blender container, and run it at medium speed until the applesauce reaches the desired consistency. Taste the applesauce for flavor. Add additional cinnamon, if desired, and some Stevia if you desire a sweeter applesauce. Source: Sunnyside Orchards, Pennock |
Sunnyside Apple Icing: In a bowl, combine the powdered sugar and whole milk. Mix well. Set aside to be drizzled over warm cake. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare apples first: wash, pare,
core and dice. Measure 4 cups. Grease a 10-inch tube pan. Spoon one-third of the batter into
the pan. Thoroughly drain any juice from the apples. Spoon half
of the apples over the batter. Top with another one-third of
the batter, then the remaining apples. Top with the remaining
cake batter. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon Source: Sunnyside Orchards, Pennock |
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Apple sayings abound
The U.S. Apple Association provides the history behind some apple terms and sayings: AN APPLE A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY: This comes from an old English saying, “Ate an apfel avore gwain to bed, make the doctor beg his bread.” AN APPLE FOR THE TEACHER: The folks at the Apple Association say they really don’t know how this saying originated. It probably harkens back to the “apple polisher” (see below). APPLE EATER: This term describes one who is led astray easily. Its roots are found in the biblical story of the Garden of Eden. APPLE OF MY EYE: The word “apple” comes from “aeppel,” which meant both “eye” and “apple” in Anglo-Saxon. The pupil of the eye was regarded as the figurative window to a person’s secrets. Therefore, the “apple of my eye” meant someone very beloved. APPLE POLISHER: Young children whose math skills were poor sought to win their teacher’s favor with a gift of a bright, shiny apple. “An apple for the teacher will always do the trick when you don’t know your lesson in arithmetic.” AS AMERICAN AS APPLE PIE: Through the 19th and early 20th centuries, apple pie became the symbol of American prosperity, causing one American newspaper to proclaim in 1902, “No pie-eating people can be permanently vanquished.” ONE BAD APPLE SPOILS THE WHOLE BUNCH: First coined by Chaucer
as, “the rotten apple injures its neighbors.” |
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