If there’s any truth to the old adage, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” then there were a lot of healthy folks on Sunday at the National Apple Harvest Festival.
We ate apple sausages and drank apple cider. We brought home apple dumplings and apple butter. And if there had been time — and, more importantly, any room left in our bellies — we would have tried apple daiquiris, apple pizza, fried apples, and candied apples.
What’s most impressive about the festival is that the apples — Gala, Ginger Gold, Macintosh, Cortland, Honey Crisp — are transformed on site into the goodies we so enjoyed. They’re peeled, cored, sliced, mashed, and flavored into applesauce. They’re pressed into cider. They’re boiled and stirred into butter. And the fairground is overwhelmed by the aroma of apples and all of the spices that intensify them.
In honor of our first trip to the festival, here are a few of our favorite apple recipes:
- Chicken in Puff Pastry (with apple butter)
- Pork Chops with Apple Stuffing
- Sweet Potato and Apple Soup
And this weekend we look forward to trying a butternut squash, apple, and gorgonzola gratin.
Have you eaten an apple today?
Oh my gosh, butternut squash, apple and gorgonzola gratin! Sounds AMAZING!!!