It is officially everyone’s favorite time of the year! Fall is here and the farm is so excited! Pears and apples are currently being picked, with our Pumpkin Patch now also being open. While pumpkin picking has just started, pear picking will be coming to an end by early October. Pears are being picked on weekends when we are at our Main Orchard off of New England Road. Pears being picked include Bosc and limited Bartlett. Our pears come in various sizes, shapes and colors. Bartlett’s are generally juicy, sweet and excellent for eating, canning and cooking. Bosc pears are crisp with a rougher skin and best for eating and cooking. Pears actually ripen best off the tree so you want to make sure you pick them when they are mature but not ripe. Make sure to store your pears at room temperature as they will ripen in a few days.
Overall the start of Apple Picking has been slow, with varieties available to pick being approximately a week behind. Apple picking is everyday with field locations in Guilford changing, and our Northford Orchard available for apple picking on weekends only. This past weekend we were finally able to open our fan favorite Macoun Apples for Pick Your Own. Other apples that have been available are Daybreak Fuji, Cortland, Autumn Gala, McIntosh, Red and Golden Delicious. We grow approximately 20 varieties, carrying the season through late October. With all our apple varieties, you are sure to find something that suits all your needs, whether it be for cooking, gifts, or a quick snack on the go!
Apples will keep for months if you store them properly, so make sure to stock up! Inspect all apples for bruises, cuts, and soft spots. Only perfect fruit is suitable for storage. Sort the apples by size: small, medium and large. Since large apples don’t store as well, this will make it easy to ensure that they get eaten first. It’s also a good idea to sort your apples by variety. Different apples ripen at different rates, so if you store each variety separately, it’ll be easy to eat the early ripeners first, while saving the slow ripeners for later. Place the sorted apples in boxes or baskets. To maximize their storage life, wrap each apple in newspaper before you place it in the basket. If one apple goes bad, the paper will protect the other apples from coming into contact with it. Store your apples in a cool basement, garage, shed, fruit cellar or refrigerator. Check regularly for signs of spoilage, and remove any rotten apples before they have a chance to spoil the lot. If you follow these instructions you will most definitely be able to enjoy using these apples for homemade desserts for Thanksgiving! We have plenty of recipes online so check out our Bishop’s Cookbook. Here are a few favorites:
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 apples
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 ½ tablespoons butter
- 3 egg
- ½ cup milk
- ⅓ cup cornmeal
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Toss apples with sugar. Reserve. Melt the butter in a 9 or 10 cast iron skillet and remove from heat. Beat eggs and milk in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter. Combine cornmeal, flour and salt in a separate bowl and whisk in egg/milk mixture until smooth. Put skillet back on heat and sauté the apples in the remaining butter. After 2 or 3 minutes, before they get mushy, spread the apples evenly in the pan and gently pour on the batter. Put skillet in oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until firm and puffy. Loosen with a spatula and invert onto an ovenproof platter. Sprinkle with grated Light Cheddar Cheese and return to oven to melt.
Apple, Sausage & Parsnip Stuffing with Fresh Sage
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 ½ pounds Italian sausage
- 6 cups onions
- 2 cups celery
- ¾ cup butter
- 3 pounds apples
- ¾ cup sage
- 1 ½ pounds sourdough bread
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 2 pounds parsnips
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Bake bread cubes on 2 large rimmed baking sheets until lightly toasted, about 20 minutes. Sauté sausages in very large skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through, breaking into pieces with spoon, about 15 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to large bowl; add bread. Add onions and celery to same skillet and sauté until golden brown, about 10 minutes; transfer to bowl with bread. Melt 1/4 cup butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes; mix apples into stuffing. Melt 1/4 cup butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add parsnips and sauté until golden, about 10 minutes; mix into stuffing. Melt 1/4 cup butter in same skillet. Add sage and sauté until dark green, about 2 minutes. Mix sage and butter into stuffing. Season with salt and pepper. Butter 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish. Stuff turkey. Transfer remaining stuffing to prepared dish; drizzle with 1/2 cup chicken broth. Cover with foil. (Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate). Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake stuffing covered until heated through, about 1 hour. Uncover and bake until beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pie crust
- 1 cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon lemon rind
- 7 cups pears
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ cups butter
DIRECTIONS:
Combine 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch and the lemon peel. In a large bowl sprinkle pears with lemon juice. Add sugar mixture to pears; toss to coat fruit. Fill a pastry lined 9 inch pie plate with the pear mixture. To make topping combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar and spices. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle crumbs over pear filling. Cover edge of pie with foil. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, bake for an additional 25 to 30 minutes or until pie is bubbly and crust is golden. Cool on a wire rack before serving.