welcome october!
how can you be here already?
i love how you brought us gifts..
the colours are beginning to change in our valley,
the salmon are back in our river,
and the apples love the cooler temperatures.
we have some gorgeous apples that needed september to ripen..
our mutsu, idared, ambrosia, smoothie and empire apples
are now ready for you to to pick.
mutsu
mutsu apples are a lovely crisp, refreshing tart apple..for now.
harvested in a couple of weeks they will become sweeter
with hints of spice.. similar to a golden delicious.
they are so fabulous in every apple recipe you have, both savoury and sweet!
idared
one of my favourites for baking pies and crisps.
their lemony notes add a lovely layer of flavour to anything baked.
i used idareds in a gorgeous savoury autumn soup.
you will find the recipe below.
idareds are the best apple for storing long term.
if you can dedicate a crisper drawer (or an entire fridge) for these,
they will delight you all winter!
ambrosia
ambrosias are another apple that will quickly become your favourite.
they are very firm, sweet and juicy, with low acidity.
oh and they are resistant to browning..
the perfect addition to your charcuterie board.
did i mention they bake beautifully too?
smoothie
the name always makes me smile!
smoothies are a type of golden delicious that ripens a titch earlier.
they are mellow and sweet.
a great choice for cakes, pies, strudels or sauce.
empire
when a macintosh marries a red delicious..
you will find the the best of both in their empire baby.
these small apples are brilliant for snacking.
their resistance to bruising makes them a perfect picnic dessert.
you can bake with them too!
have you tried our apple cider?
the taste is pure autumn..
crisp mornings, fragrant orchard breezes,
cozy sweaters.. geese v ing overhead.
every week a selection of our fresh picked
apples get pressed.
i love how each week the flavour subtly changes.
it’s absolutely delicious, hot or cold!
it takes many helping hands!
perhaps you have seen our picking baskets..
they are worn, so both hands are free to pick.
the bottom of the basket is fabric,
and when the basket is full, the fabric gets untied,
allowing the apples to gently fall out, into a bin.
the baskets hold about 30 pounds of apples..
it’s quite a work out!
i love soup.. this apple, celeriac and stilton soup
is a delightful, delicate autumn one to try.
the recipe was from an english blog i stumbled on..
apple, celeriac and stilton soup
this delicious soup is a wonderful marriage of the mild flavoured celeriac, sweet apple and savoury, rich tasting cheese. gorgonzola and roquefort also work well if you have a difficult time finding stilton.
4 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 large celeriacs, peeled and cut into chunks
1 large baking potato, peeled and cut into chunks
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
2 or 3 apples, peeled, cored and quartered. i used ida red and empire
apples.
2 litres of vegetable stock
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 ounces stilton cheese, crumbled
to garnish:
celery leaves (optional)
crumbled stilton (optional)
lightly sauteed apple slices (optional)
fresh thyme
melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
add the onions, celeriac, potato and garlic. sweat gently for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and taking great care not to allow them to brown. if you find they are beginning to catch, you can add a bit of the stock.
after the 10 minutes, add the apples and enough of the vegetable stock to cover. season generously with salt and pepper.
bring to the boil, then reduce the temperature and simmer gently for about 40 minutes.
all the vegetables and fruit should be fork tender. once they are all tender, using a hand held stick blender, puree the soup until smooth.
if you don't have one of these then you can do it in the blender in batches, but take great care as hot liquids in the blender have a tendency to explode, so only do small amounts until you have it completely done.
add the stilton cheese and heat, stirring constantly until the cheese has completely melted.
serve ladled into hot soup bowls with a garnish as desired.
there is such a terrific selection of apples this weekend..
i hope you can make a space in your fridge to tuck them in.
these later harvest apples store so much better than their september sisters.
it’s just breathtaking being in our valley.
hugs,
laura
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