apples

The other day (or week) a couple friends and I took our kiddos to an orchard to pick apples, followed by making applesauce at my friend's house... a great fall experience!  We also got apples for apple butter, which was something new for me to make.

Overall making both applesauce and apple butter is very easy.  I made my applesauce chunky and cooked it over the stove.  The apple butter I made in a crockpot.  I decided to freeze both, so I didn't need to can anything (which seems like a complicated process to me).

the little guy helping me pick apples :)

applesauce and apple butter

 Applesauce:
1 large soup pot full apples
several cups of water (or sub some water with apple cider)
cinnamon

Instructions:
Peel, core, and cut up apples into chunks.  You can use whatever kind of apples you'd like.  I used mostly Golden Delicious with some Jonathan, a more tart apple, and it was sweet enough that I didn't need to add any sugar.  If you like sweeter applesauce, or use mostly tart apples, you might need to add some sugar.
Put apples in a large pot and add a cup or two of water or juice.  Cover and cook over medium low, stirring often and adding more water/juice as needed, depending on the consistency you want.  Cook until the applesauce is as smooth as you would like it.  If you have a big pot, it may take an hour or two to cook, but a smaller pot may only take 30 minutes to an hour.  Stir in some cinnamon until you like the flavor.
Put in quart ziploc bags, or freezer safe containers, to freeze.


Apple butter:
1 large crockpot of tart apples (I used Ida Red)
1/2 c. water or apple cidar
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 T. honey
sprinkle of cinnamon
a little nutmeg and ginger
1 tsp vanilla
lemon or orange zest (optional)

Instructions:
Peel, core, and cut up apples into chunks.  Place in crock pot and add liquid, sugar, and spices (you can always go light on the sugar and spices and add more at end).  The apple butter needs to cook on low overnight.  I started mine on high for a couple hours (making sure to stir it so the apples on the bottom don't stick), and then turned it down to low before I went to bed.  When I got up I cooked the apple butter for a little longer without the lid, and it was done cooking.  If you only cook it on low, I think it will need more like 10-12 hours on low, instead of 8-9.
Once the apples are cooked down, you can either leave it a chunky consistency, or puree it.  I opted to puree it with my hand blender.  Before pureeing, add the vanilla and zest.  Puree until smooth.  Taste and add more sugar/spices if needed.
Put in jars to freeze.

kale pesto

I saw a recipe somewhere for kale pesto, so when I grabbed a huge bag of kale from Costco, I decided to try it out.  

I love basil, so I usually make basil pesto, but this was a nice change... more of a "tangy" flavor and not quite as rich tasting as basil pesto. 

Mine ended up on a pizza, with roasted grape tomatoes, pine nuts and parmesan... very good.  However, it would be good on pasta, a sandwich... anything you would do with basil pesto. 

kale pesto

Recipe: (all in generic measurements)

several handfuls of raw kale, around 2-3 c. (the bag I bought was little baby kale leaves, but if you buy big leaves, remove the tough centers and chop it up)

2 cloves garlic

a generous drizzle of olive oil

a handful of pine nuts

a handful of parmesan cheese

juice from 1/2 a lemon

salt & pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.  Keep adding a little more of everything until the flavor and consistency is just right.  

I had to start with 1 or 2 cups of kale and then add more after that had blended, since my food processor isn't large enough to hold all of the kale at once... you might need to do the same.