hello sweet october…

most of our apples available in october are on the sweet side.

 crisp, juicy and aromatic…they taste like autumn! 

oh won’t wearing a favourite sweater feel luxurious after our exceptionally warm september?

we still have our macintosh, cortland, and mcgowen apples available for picking.  

last sunday we started our jonagold and smoothie harvest.

 this weekend we will start picking our golden delicious and red delicious too. 

jona gold

a lovely sweet apple with a nice balance of tartness.

these are such an excellent snack, 

and their generous size makes them easy to share.  

add a slice to your grilled cheese sandwich!

they also make a wonderful pie! 

jonagolds will store for a couple of months in your fridge. 

smoothie

don't you just love the name? 

these are one of the sweeter varieties available this weekend.

so similar to our golden delicious, they are mellow and juicy 

and even more sweet after another week to ripen.

 use them anywhere you would use a golden delicious. 

a slice with a smear of almond butter makes a quick, satisfying snack. 

red delicious 

probably the most recognized apple anywhere, 

with the cute signature bumps on the bottom.

another one for all you sweet apple lovers.

these are best eaten fresh...
one of the only apples we grow that is not well suited for baking. 

red delicious benefit from storing as their flavour intensifies.

did you know they are perfect to decorate with?

their gorgeous skin remains lovely for a long time.

i have nestled them in outdoor floral arrangements
 amongst greenery and berries and birch bark. 

golden delicious 

oh these are so fabulous… 

sweet and mellow with beautiful creamy flesh. 

you don’t even have to peel them if you are making a pie
 or apple sauce because their skin is so thin.

 i love to use these in a tart or galette because they keep their shape well.
 a little sugar and a tablespoon or two of cold butter dollops
 sprinkled on top before baking is all you need!

have you visited our adorable little café down at the river yet?  

riversong, birds and the crickets will serenade you while you enjoy a cup of fresh cider.

we are also offering coffee, an assortment of teas, and fresh baked cookies. 

 it is so special to be on the credit river.

the view is dreamy! 

we are waiting for the salmon to join us again. 

it is quite a sight to see them swimming their final spawning journey. 
last year our guests enjoyed watching the salmon run
 in early october for a couple of weekends. 

see you soon …in your favourite cozy sweater!

hugs,

laura

carl laidlaw orchards 

autumn's first weekend

our calendars say it is the first weekend of autumn,

 but it sure feels like summer wants to linger!

despite the warm week, i just had to make an apple pie with

 our cortlands…my favourite…and with ice cream…

oh the best flavours of summer and autumn together!

besides our macintosh, cortland, royal gala and silken apples,

 we have two new apples that are delightful 

and available this weekend… spartan and mcgowen.

spartan

a perfect snack size, they are juicy, sweet, and mellow with low acidity….

so refreshing and thirst quenching. 

a wonderful all purpose kind of apple...these can be used for everything! 

they are a favourite for cider makers and lend a beautiful layer

 of flavour to savoury dishes too, pairing well with

 onions, parsnips, blue cheeses, walnuts, rosemary and curry. 

spartans are excellent for soups and chutneys.…when the days turn a little cooler.

mcgowen

another delightful smaller apple that is perfect to snack on.

 you must try them…it could be a new favourite! 

a cross of a macintosh and a jersey black..these have exceptional flavour...

 juicy, crisp and sweet with a hint of berry. 

they are lovely to bake with too. 

mcgowens are sometimes called macoun.

tomato, tomaahto…either way they are fabulous.

 we are pressing our apples for cider for the first time in years.

cool off with a cup of cold cider down at the credit river...

listen to the crickets… cherish a breeze! 

“autumn…the year’s last, loveliest smile”

w. bryant

goodbye summer and welcome autumn!

warm hugs,

laura

carl laidlaw orchards 

oh isn't september delicious and gorgeous? 

this weekend we invite you to pick

macintosh, gingergold, royal gala, silken and honey gold apples. 

 this is the first weekend to harvest our cortland and honey crisp apples.

we still have bartlett pears and will start picking our bosc pears. 

we were in our pumpkin patch today and picked some adorable pastel pumpkins for you.

our sunflower field is still stunning! 

i do think of vincent van gogh often! 

i am running out of vases! 

honey crisp

kind of famous…they certainly are everything their name suggests! 

sweet and crisp…and so juicy too.

 they really are a lovely, thirst quenching apple to enjoy fresh! 

cortland

still my favourite…i love the perfect blend of sweet and tart with that wonderful 
intense apple flavour. these are the apples that resist browning…
perfect for cheese trays and a great addition to salads. 

also marvellous for baking, cortlands retain their shape. 

bosc pears 

their russet coloured skin is deceiving. these are 

juicy and sweet with a gorgeous buttery texture.  

they are originally from france. oh la la! 

we love them sliced with a nice strong cheese. 

you have to try our favourite stilton and a pear tarte…the recipe is on the website.

whole, halved, sliced or chopped, they can be used in any recipe
 that calls for pears and will keep their shape. 

i have a a lovely ginger pear cake recipe to share this week,

 kindly sent after an instagram request from a nice lady in australia.  

i did change it a titch. delightful with a cup of tea or coffee…

this may or may not have been breakfast this week!

the warmth of ginger paired with the subtle sweetness of pears is delightful.

 the cake calls for three kinds of ginger…ground, fresh, and candied. 

i used bartlett pears only because the bosc 

weren't available yet. next time i will try the bosc! 

i have a little kitchen weigh scale...

i have included equivalents in brackets for you if you don't.

ginger pear cake 

you will need:

3 pears peeled and cored. i use a melon baller to scoop out the core. 

150 g butter, softened (a generous 2/3 of a cup)

*300 g self-raising flour  (2 cups )

150 g brown sugar  (1 cup) 

1 teaspoon of ground ginger 

2 pieces of fresh ginger, each the size of a champagne cork, finely grated.

4 eggs

1/4 ish cup of candied ginger sliced into little pieces 

1 tablespoon of almonds or hazelnuts roughly chopped

*i didn't have self rising flour…

if you have flour, baking powder and salt in your pantry you can make your own:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

 double this recipe for the ginger pear cake

preheat your oven to 350˚

butter and line a loaf tin with parchment paper.

beat the butter with the brown sugar.

add flour, ground ginger, and fresh grated ginger.

roughly chop 1 and 1/2  medium sized pears 

and fold into this mixture along with the beaten eggs. 

pour this into your prepared loaf tin.  

slice the remaining pears and poke them down into the cake. 

sprinkle the top with sugar and almonds or hazelnuts,

 and the sliced candied ginger pieces. 

bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer comes out clean.

allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes then remove from the

 pan and cool completely on a wire rack. 

put the kettle on... 

another fabulous weekend to look forward to…

warm september hugs,

laura

carl laidlaw orchards 

well that was a fast week!

did you give a teacher an apple? 

we have a fabulous selection perfect for you to pick this weekend…  

still available are macintosh, gravenstein, and gingergold apples, and bartlett pears. 

have a peek at the previous post for a description of these varieties. 

 it is the first weekend for our royal gala, honeygold and silken apples.

did you know we have a field of sunflowers this year? 

it will take your breath away…

royal gala

you will love everything about galas…especially their colour! 

the pinkest, girliest apple on the farm! 

a sweet, smaller apple, they are mild and juicy. 

they are a cross of a red delicious and a cox orange pippin. 

although best eaten fresh, you can use galas for sauce, baking and drying. 

honeygold 

oh what a beautiful sweet, juicy apple. 

similar to a golden delicious who happens to be a parent…these have a very subtle, mild flavour.

they are best eaten fresh, but you can use them for baking too.

silken

another gorgeous apple that is juicy and crisp 

with a hint of honey flavour. 

 introduced from the beautiful okanagan valley in british columbia,

 it is a cross of two favourites…sunrise and honeygold.
they are a lovely apple for baking as they hold their shape well. 
you will find the silken orchard down in our valley.

oh these early mornings on the farm with the rain and the fog … 

 we are so happy to be open once again. see you soon! 

hugs,

laura 

carl laidlaw orchards