Recipes for Freshly Picked Local Apples!

Good Afternoon Everyone!

Are you finding yourself staring at all the apples you picked and wondering what to do with them? Apple pie is the go-to solution for an excess of apples but let's try to escape the norm and explore some neat ways to use your extra apples! How does an Apple Ham Cheddar Melt sound? Considering all the wet weather we've been experiencing here in the Shenandoah Valley that sounds like a great comfort food! Below is the recipe:

Apple Ham Cheddar Melt

INGREDIENTS

• 8 slices whole-wheat sandwich bread (Try out your local Great Harvest bakery for the best honey whole wheat bread!)
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
• 1/2 pound sharp cheddar cheese, thinly sliced
• 1/2 pound ham, thinly sliced
• 1 medium local apple, cored and cut into 1/4-inch-thick rings
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

DIRECTIONS

1. STEP 1

   Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread half the bread slices with mustard. Layer with cheddar, ham, apple, and more cheddar, dividing evenly. Top with remaining bread slices. Lightly butter both sides of sandwiches.

2. STEP 2

   Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, cook sandwiches, turning once, until bread is golden, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer sandwiches to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in oven until cheddar is melted, about 5 minutes. Cut each sandwich in half on the diagonal, and serve warm.

Maybe you are just looking for something healthy to snack on rather than a bag of salty chips or pretzels. Plus we are all aware of the preservatives, high sodium content and high fat content in chips and salty snacks. Why not try out making your own so you can control the ingredients. Below is the recipe for Cinnamon Apple Chips, a delicious and healthy alternative to salty snacks!

Cinnamon Apple Chips

Ingredients:

2 cups unsweetened apple juice 1 cinnamon stick 2 Red Delicious apples

Method:

1) In large skillet or pot, combine apple juice and cinnamon stick; bring to a low boil while preparing apples. 2) With sharp knife, slice off 1/2-inch from top and bottom of apples and discard (or eat!). Stand apples on either cut end and saw gently crosswise into very thin (1/8-inch) rings, rotating the apple as necessary to get even slices. 3) Drop apple slices into boiling juice; cook 4 to 5 minutes or until slices appear translucent and lightly golden. Meanwhile, heat oven to 250 degrees F. 4) With slotted spatula, remove apple slices from juice and pat dry. Arrange slices on cake-cooling racks, being sure none overlap. Place racks on middle shelf in oven; bake 30 to 40 minutes until apple slices are lightly browned and almost dry to touch. Let chips cool on racks completely before storing in airtight container.

Or maybe you have so many apples left over you need to make something that calls for a bunch of apples! Are you in the mood for some Old-Fashioned Apple Butter?! It's a lot simpler than you might think, but you will need 10+ apples. This recipe also calls for honey which is so much better if it is local! I got mine at the JMU Farmer's Market from a vendor called Mud-E Acres located in Broadway, VA (16 miles away)! Check out Mud-E Acres' Facebook page! Here is the recipe below:

OLD-FASHIONED APPLE BUTTER

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup honey (local farmer's market honey is the best!)
• 1/4 cup apple cider (also available at most farmer's markets!)
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon ground mace
• 10 medium apples, peeled and cut into large chunks (about 2 1/2 pounds) 
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  Photo Courtesy of: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Cindy Barr

• Preparation

  1. Combine all ingredients in a 5-quart electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 10 hours or until apples are very tender.
  2. Place a large fine-mesh sieve over a bowl; spoon one-third of apple mixture into sieve. Press mixture through sieve using the back of a spoon or ladle. Discard pulp. Repeat procedure with remaining apple mixture. Return apple mixture to slow cooker. Cook, uncovered, on high 1 1/2 hours or until mixture is thick, stirring occasionally. Spoon into a bowl; cover and chill up to a week.
  3. Stovetop variation: Combine all ingredients in a Dutch oven. Cover and cook over medium-low heat 1 hour or until apples are very tender, stirring occasionally. Strain through a sieve as recipe instructs in Step 2. Return mixture to pan. Cook, uncovered, over medium-low heat 15 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently.
  Note:

  A mixture of apple varieties, rather than just one type, will produce apple butter with rich, complex flavor in this slow cooker recipe. Good choices include Esopus Spitzenburg, Granny Smith, Jonathan, Northern Spy, Rome, Stayman, Winesap, and York. Enjoy the apple butter over toast or English muffins, or serve it with pork chops or chicken.

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  I hope everyone takes some time to try out one of these awesome recipes! And please comment below if you have some great Autumn or Apple recipes to share and post pictures of how your recipes turned out! Enjoy the amazing Fall weather while it's here and take complete advantage of your local farmer's markets and fall festivals!

  ~Ryan

  "How can a nation be great if its bread tastes like Kleenex?" - Julia Child