An Ode to Apples in Fall

Apple season is in full force at the farmers markets this time of year. Each week, vendors bring new varieties to market and the excitement at their stands is contagious!

Have you bought a bag of apples and need to cook or bake with them? Maybe you are wanting in on the apple frenzy at the market. Whether the great diversity of apple varieties is new to you or you have honed in on your favorite(s), there’s no reason not to try a new recipe highlighting these crisp, sweet, tangy, and creamy fruits that sustain us from the Fall through the Winter and Spring months until we see berries emerge once again. 

Where to Find Apples and Apple Cider

Apples, as well as fresh-pressed apple cider is available at all of our markets that are currently open: 

• Lents International Farmers Market – through Nov 20th, from 9am – 2pm at SE 91st and Foster
• King Farmers Market – through Nov 20th, from 10am – 2pm at NE 7th and Wygant
• Shemanski Park Farmers Market – open Wed, Nov 23rd from 10am – 2pm at SW Park and Main
• PSU Farmers Market – open Year-round Saturdays 9am – 2pm at SW Park and Montgomery

On Wednesday, November 23rd, the Harvest Festival at the Shemanski Park Farmers Market will also have a cider press! Bring apples to press, or purchase some at the market! Containers will be available for purchase, or you are welcome to bring your own.

Want to make something with apple cider? Look no further than this list of recipes that use apple cider as the shining ingredient.

Does the vast array of apple varieties intimidate you? At the Harvest Festival, we will also have an apple tasting. There’s no better way to figure out your favorite apple variety than to taste them all!

Baking and Cooking with Apples

There’s nothing like the smell of apples baking in the oven to awaken the senses and flip the ‘season switch’ in your home to fall. If you’re looking for inspiration, look no further! I’ve compiled some of my favorite recipes that highlight apples and I do hope you enjoy them. Many recipes will call for a specific type of apple, but don’t fret! The recipes I’ve highlighted here are quite flexible and any apple variety will do.

One of my favorite ways to serve apples is by making an apple tart. Don’t have a tart pan? Make a galette (oops, I lied…I make apple galettes, not tarts)! Sounds fancier, but really you just need a sheet pan to bake the galette.

If you’re not sold on making pie crust, here’s a Double Apple Crumble Cake by Claire Saffitz that is worth every step.  

Apples can sneak into savory dishes as well. Smitten Kitchen, a food blog written by Deb Perelman, has a great array of dishes that include apples, if you’re looking to use up the whole bowl of apples sitting on your counter or have one or two you would like to use.

Preserving Apples

Apples are available at the market for many months, which means there is not as much incentive to preserve them. One of my favorite ways to preserve apples is to dehydrate them. I love munching on apples on hikes or when I am too lazy to cut up an apple. Check out this article by OSU Extension Service for more ways to preserve apples, and detailed instructions!

If you find yourself with an abundance of apples with little time to tend to them, a great way to use them up is to make apple butter. Here’s a recipe for slow-cooker apple butter – what could be easier?!

There are hundreds of apple recipes within reach, which can become overwhelming. There are also so many apple varieties to choose from, and ways to eat an apple. If nothing else, eat an apple raw. Cut it up, admire the color of the flesh and skin, and take a minute to eat the apple as you gaze out the window to see the neighborhood tree leaves changing color. And don’t forget to visit the Harvest Festival on November 23rd at Shemanski Park to stock up on snacking apples, baking apples, cider, you name it!

Enjoy the rest of Fall in the Pacific Northwest, for we don’t get to experience another one for about a year.