Stef’s Apple Muffin recipe is at the end of the Blog.
I love apple picking! So with fall barely in full swing, Jack and I have already been twice. I pick while he taste tests every assortment (gala, cameo, ginger gold, empire, etc.) and provides commentary.
There is something so comforting about picking apples. I haven’t quite pin pointed the feeling but perhaps it comes from envisioning all that we can do with these gorgeous, delicious apples. As Jack and I walk down the lanes of apple trees we talk about what we plan to make: apple juice, applesauce, apple pie, apple crisps, apple tarts, apple muffins, caramel apples or just simply apples and honey (a big topic these last few weeks with the celebration of Rosh Hashanah).
The first time around it was apples and honey for the holiday and an apple crisp. The second time it was apple juice and with a fruit drawer still full, we have some decisions to make. But I am thinking apple muffins (see recipe below) and caramel apples (something I can’t resist).
Mema & Jack
We live in an area rich in farmland. Thus, whether an apple orchard, a farm stand or a farmer’s market (and there are many on the East End) there is an abundance of local and sometimes organic (and gorgeous) fruits, vegetables, baked goods, cheeses and more.
Being that I am a culinary nutritionist (and a mom like most of you), I need and want to offer my kids the best food education that I can. Farms (like Quail Hill or Amber Waves) are great places to take the kids to help them understand where our food comes from. If not the farm, the farm stand or farmer’s market is another fabulous option. I always allow Jack to pick something he wants then we go home and cook with it.
In fact last week we took it a step further, away from the vegetables and fruits, and went to Iocona Farm on Long Lane in East Hampton. It’s the spot out here to get great poultry, fresh from the farm. I have a confession to make: I do eat fish and poultry, but if I see it alive (as in fishing for fish or seeing my chicken running around), I get freaked out and can’t eat either. Yes, maybe I should be a vegetarian, but I am not. So at a friend’s suggestion, I sucked it up and went to Iocona (in fact, I called ahead to be sure that I did not see my feathery friend alive). My antibiotic-free, vegetarian fed and free-roaming chicken was packaged and ready when we arrived. And, roasted with the potatoes from the farm stand across the street, it was seriously the BEST chicken I have ever had.
So, welcome to fall and all that the East End has to offer. The colors, textures, smells and flavors will awaken the senses and give you and your family something fun to do!
Apple Muffins
by Stefanie Bryn Sacks, M.S.
SERVINGS: 8
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup maple syrup
1 cup apples, grated
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup safflower oil
1/4 cup apple butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup unsweetened soymilk
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or spelt flour)
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 cup walnuts chopped
METHOD:
Pre-heat oven to 350˚
In a large saucepan, combine first 9 ingredients and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, mix all dry ingredients together. Then combine the two to form a batter. Pour into muffin pan (using paper liners) to fill cup 3/4 and bake for 20-30 minutes.
