At the very end of summer we took a trip to Beilke Family Farm to pick apples. It was a lot of fun, and I made applesauce for the first time. Then, I made my first pie. I don’t enjoy cooking, so it has been surprising how much I’ve enjoyed running the impromptu Hylton bakery. There have now been multiple trips to the orchard, so many jars of applesauce made that I’m storing them in my mother-in-law’s freezer, and several pies and an apple crisp baked. Whew!

If I’ve learned anything from this newfound hobby, it’s that apples straight from the tree are better than apples from the store. Every single time. I didn’t know Red Delicious apples are supposed to be tasty and crisp and not mealy!

I’ve gotten to know and use many different varieties or cultivars: Jonagold, Ruby Jon, Melrose and Cripps Pink. I’ve also used the more familiar Gala, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious and Fuji apples. I haven’t been disappointed with any of them, which is fantastic.

As October ends I’ve got a couple boxes of Cripps Pink and Granny Smith apples in the pantry. They’re great for storing. I’m eyeing one more trip out to the farm, as the owners expect to have apples until Thanksgiving.

In order to avoid becoming diabetic by then, I’ve been giving away a lot of the pie. I have a self-appointed focus group at the office that lets me know how I’m doing. Seems by my third pie I had dialed everything in from good to perfect in regard to the filling, which is also about the time I started ad libbing with the ingredients. I don’t use a lot of sugar, but I am a little more liberal with cinnamon and nutmeg. I also add a touch of cloves.

The house smells great these days. It’s real apple pie, not a Yankee Candle! I’m going to be sorry when apple season ends, but I’m already scouting out cherries and blueberries for baking next summer. That will tide us over until the apples are back in the late summer and early fall. In the meantime, it’s back to the kitchen. The oven is getting a workout!