Weekend Apple Picking

The trees and ground were covered with apples.

Over the weekend, Ben and I went apple picking with my parents and younger brother.  We had an excellent time.  The rain finally let up for most of the day, the sun came out, and there was a strong breeze that kept the trees rustling.  There was lots of good conversation and laughter in between the trees of  Crane's Orchard in Fennville, Michigan. We ended the day at the Saugatuk Antique Pavillion, a huge place where we could have spent all day going through the treasures and had a late lunch at the Saugatuk Brewing Company.

I am sucker when it comes to traditions.  When I was much younger, my family would go every fall to one of the local U-Pick orchards in Berrien County and pick apples.  It was a great time of apple cider, tree climbing, and hay rides.  Now that we moved back to the West side of Michigan, we are fortunate to continue that tradition.

Ben and I picked almost a bushel and a half of apples.  There were five varieties that we were allowed to pick: the very popular Honeycrisp, McIntosh, Gala, Golden Supreme, and Blondee.  We picked every variety because we're not apple snobs.  You can eat, cook, and bake with virtually every apple.  Some people are much more picky about the type of apples they use for pies versus apples they use to eat as a snack.  I worked for a fruit farm for just shy of a decade and I would use all the apples we grew for anything and everything I wanted.  It is true, some apples are softer than others and it makes the homemade applesauce smoother but I think a lot of your choice in apple is based on your own personal tastes and desires for you food.

Anyway, we've been eating apples like crazy. Sliced apples with peanut butter, apples with cinnamon in oatmeal, and Ben's favorite, apple pie.  We've even been sharing with our neighbors.

I made my dough using our food processor, my favorite kitchen appliance, and had that sit in the fridge while I hand peeled the apples.  Again, the food processor helped cut the time as I used the slicing disc to get thin and even apple slices.

Our apple pie turned out pretty tasty.  You can check out the pictures below to see for yourself.  Not the most beautiful pie I have ever seen or made, but it sure hit the spot as the cooler fall weather hit Michigan.  It was the perfect dessert to end our homemade chili. The Michigan apples tasted even better with some Michigan made ice cream from Hudsonville.

The recipe I used is from the Food Network.  I followed this recipe for the most part, I might have added a bit more cinnamon, but it is a nice, easy to follow recipe that doesn't require a bunch of stuff that I normal don't keep stocked in the house.

Happy dabbling!