Apples & Pumpkins & Leaves...Oh My!

Oh what a beautiful time of year in the North East! As September slowly fades into October and the leaves begin to change, the air is crisp and clear and every road side stand has an abundance of pumpkins and apples...I get excited about the change in my cooking and baking menu. Now don't get me wrong, I love the fresh berries and local fruits and veggies that dominate my summer menu but a change is always fun. And...fall weather has brought such a change!

My head is full of ideas for warm spiced creations of pumpkin and apple, local maple syrup and mulled cider by the fireside! I've pulled out my recipe box, favorite cook books and back issues of Everyday Food compiling ideas and notes and ingredient lists. I've been browsing the spice isles at the market, the road side stands and the local orchards. Next step...


Picking my own apples! I look forward every year to this ritual. One that I used to carry out with my girls when they were younger and now I share with my husband Richard and our dog Lilliput. It is truly the ushering in of the fall season for me and the beginning of my apple phase.

Each year from sometime in September until my apples run out I create apple everything! Apple bread, apple muffins, apple chutney, apple cookies, apple pies, apple coffee cake, apple stuffed french toast...you get the idea. The guests at the inn love the opportunity to spend a few days tasting the results of the homegrown fruit that comes in so very many varieties. But I wonder if Richard gets tired of it after a month or two?

With so many apples in so many colors, textures and tastes there are just endless recipe possibilities. And as any good foodie would, I intend to explore them all. Even if my husband fears he may turn into an apple.

So, now that I've bought oodles of pumpkins to decorate the front porch, started snapping photos of the change in the foliage and dusted off the cookbooks, I'm ready! I have three different orchards in mind, and if I have the time and Richard has the patience I hope to pick apples at all three! I'll let you know how it goes and what I create with all that sweet apple booty.