A crispness has hung in the air these last few mornings, announcing the approach of fall and that means it's the beginning of apple season. September is the best time to pick my most favorite of all apple varieties: Honey Crisp. I fell in love with these firm, crunchy yet juicy apples years ago. Their sweet-tart flavor makes them a great choice for turning into caramel apples but my favorite way to enjoy them is sliced with peanut butter or solo allowing their one-of-a-kind flavor to liven my mouth.
So with apples on my mind, my niece and I set out to our local orchard and picked our first round of Honey Crisps. Not only did my four year old enjoy walking about the orchard and seeing where food comes from but by picking the apples ourselves we were able to save money - the one thing about Honey Crisps is that they tend to be more pricey than other apple varieties.
With our two bags full of apples (thankfully Honey Crisps have a long shelf life) I was ready to leave but my niece remembered that we'd picked raspberries the previous year. We'd used the flavorful little berries to make some of the best jam I've ever produced and hoping to replicate the experience we filled our little white bucket with raspberries. I believe that the jam was exceptional because, by picking your own berries, we acquired an array of ripeness. I've leaned that the over-ripe berries have a higher sugar content while the under-ripe have a greater amount of pectin. Both types give flavor and texture to the jam. While a good ripe red berry is desired, don't be afraid to throw a handful of the others types in the bucket.
For apple and raspberry recipes, find links to my favorite cooking websites posted at the bottom of my blog page.
