Experimenting with Apples - Take 1

Having spent most of my years in Kansas sometimes you are sheltered when it comes to certain things. Now that I spend quite a bit of time in Maine I'm learning all sorts of new things (and words - I see an entire post about this topic in the future). Every time we drive into town we pass an apple orchard. As the weather started getting cooler Sean started saying "It's almost time to go apple pickin'!" This made me very excited as I had never been before. The day finally came when the sign at the apple orchard went up "U Pick". The time has finally come!!! Last weekend we made our way to pick some apples. I almost think Sean ate more then he put in the bucket. I wouldn't do it because it made me think of going to the grocery store and eating stuff before paying - just can't do it. Come to find out I could have eaten as many as I wanted - the lady even said so. "We don't charge for the ones you eat while picking." What a concept!

The apple orchard.

Some ruby red apples just waiting for me to pick them!

Sean trying to get the ones way up high for me.

Letting Duke try out the pickings. You can see one of the bags of apples we ended up coming home with.

Duke not quite sure if he likes it or not. They were "wicked tart".

So, now I have a million apples and I have no experience with doing stuff with them. I quickly looked through the internet to see what kind of things I could do. My plan is to take the ideas from the recipes and see if I came up with my own concoctions. I have made my first attempt and it actually wasn't too bad. Oh, by the way, the orchard also had fresh honey. They have bees because they need them to pollinate the trees. I'm also trying to see what all I can make with it too. Here's how I made my first treat.

Take a microwavable bowl and slice one pear and a couple apples (they're small) and place them in there. Add a couple tablespoons of orange juice and honey and some sliced almonds. Mix it up. In another small bowl mix about 1/4 cup of oats and a tablespoon or so of brown sugar. Pour it over the fruit mixture. Spray a few sprays of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray on top. Place in the microwave for about 8 minutes. Serve warm with a dollop of ice cream on top. Enjoy!