Last weekend, we went apple picking at
Apple Hill Farm in Concord, NH. Is there anything more quintessentially fall than apple picking? The kids and I are all fighting colds, but made the best of it with our runny noses and scratchy throats. To their credit, the kids were really well behaved and we had an awesome time.
Our outing was actually a birthday party for one of Ethan's classmates - a sweet boy with a shy smile but quick giggle. We all piled (literally) onto a big wagon, and bumped up a huge hill - or small mountain depending on how you look at it! From there, the families dispersed to find their favorite varieties of apples.
The kids had so much fun running up and down the rows of apple trees, plucking apples and exclaiming over the shape and size of each and every single apple. I was amazed at Olivia's ability to not only pick the apples from the low branches, but to collect and carry four, even five apples in her plump little arms. Ethan - an apple picking veteran - filled his 1/2 peck bag within a few minutes, then would trot over to put his apples into Daddy's huge 1/2 bushel bag.
Yes, Mr. Juggling Act had a 1/2 bushel bag... our hosts had generously provided each family with a 1/2 peck bag. I knew that I wanted to make some double batches of
Apple Bread to freeze, my Aunt Daphne's
New England Apple Pie, along with some other Fall treats, and that a 1/2 peck just wouldn't cut it. I sent the dutiful and ever-handsome husband into the Farm Stand to procure a larger bag. Clearly, I need to communicate better because by 'bigger bag' I meant, a peck, but to Mr. Juggling Act, that meant "the-biggest-bag-they-have-or-else-my-wife-will-think-I-wasn't-listening-again" bag. So that's how we ended up with a 1/2 peck and a 1/2 bushel of apples... but I digress...
The views at Apple Hill Farm were stunning, and they have this cool ski lift swing where all the families (and then the kiddos, too) posed for photos. As we bumped down the hill mountain, the kids all had half eaten apples in their chubby hands and apple juice running down their chins. Back at the picnic tables, the Birthday Boy was serenaded by his friends while his mom passed out adorable cupcakes she'd decorated like apples, and
his dad handed out goodie bags with treats for the kids, and apple crisp
mix for the parents.
These photos are of my crisp made with the mix, which was delicious, by the way. But for you, dear readers, I'm including a recipe for my favorite Classic Apple Crisp.
Classic Apple Crisp
Ingredients:
4 cups apples, chopped
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375-degrees. Peel, core and chop the apples into slices. We picked gala and honey crisp, so that's what we used. Lightly butter the inside of a baking dish, and dump all the apple slices into the dish.
In a small mixing bowl, cut the butter into the oats, sugar, flour, salt, and spices until it is a crumb-like consistency.
Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the apples (I like to tuck a little into the middle of the apple layers, too - YUM!
Bake for 30 minutes until the top is golden brown and the apples are soft. We like ours warm with ice cream.
I guess the only thing more perfectly 'Fall' than apple picking is making (and eating!) apple crisp. I hope you have your own apple picking and eating adventures this Fall with the ones you love! Stay tuned this month for more delicious Fall recipes with pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and of course, apples!
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Crockpot Apple Butter
Peel and core your apples. Props to Mr. Juggling Act for all his peeling and coring help! We left them fairly large since I was going to let these cook all day long. Using my vegetable peeler, I shaved off a few slices of lemon peel (be careful not to get the white pith, which is bitter). Sprinkle with cinnamon, and brown sugar, and grate a bit of nutmeg over the top. Squeeze in a little lemon juice and you're done. Set your crockpot on low and cook for 6-8 hours. I used a hand blender to puree the mixture, but you could just give it a stir and serve it on the chunkier side, if you want. 
Classic Apple Crisp
Anyone that knows me (online or 'in real life'), knows that I love to read. My love of reading began as a child, and was encouraged throughout my life by my family, especially my grandmother. I still have the beautiful hard copy of Little Women she gave me when I was twelve. The cover is weathered now, and the pages read over and over again. I can't wait for the day that I can share that with my children (yes, even my son!)
The illustrations, done by Ann Jones, are just beautiful. She really captures the orcas in a way that reminds me a bit of a family album, lovingly created with pastels. The prose itself has a sort of lyrical rhythm to it without being too sing-songy or rhyming. 
Dr. Sally Hodson loves to tell stories and hopes hopes to inspire people to care for our planet and the animals who share it. She earned her doctoral degree at the University of Colorado, with a focus on environmental education, ecology and animal behavior. Sally is an educator through and through having taught elementary, secondary and special needs students, as well as teachers. She also helps to develop curriculum. As the Executive Director at The Whale Museum, she helped coordinate the successful rescue and release of Springer, a wild orphaned orca. Sally lives on a Pacific Northwest island among cedar forests, bald eagles, and the orcas of Granny’s clan. To find lots more about orcas, see her website www.sallyhodson.com.
