Make the Most of Fall's Bounty

By Karen Kolp

Fall is my very favorite season, because of the crisp New England days, cool nights, the leaves' colorful explosion – and the apples and pumpkins, of course! Knowing that winter is around the corner, we work hard to bring in the harvest, even though we're not farmers. For my family, fall is the time for turning apples grown nearby into applesauce, pie apples, or dehydrated “apple chips.” It's the time to bake and puree pumpkins, freezing them in convenient, 2-cup packages to go into pie for Thanksgiving or pumpkin butter as a February pick-me-up. Here are some of my favorite apple and pumpkin recipes so you can make the most of the season, and then enjoy it all winter!

Apple Bacon Quiche

This recipe, originally called Connie's Apple Thing because we first got the recipe from a family friend named Connie, has been a brunch favorite in my family for decades. Substitute sausage for the bacon if you wish, or even skip the meat altogether if you prefer. My mother's recipe for canned pie apples follows; while the dish is good with store-bought pie apples, homemade pie apples make it superb!

1 20-oz can pie apples, or 1 quart homemade pie apples (see recipe below)

1/2-pound bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1-½ cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp baking soda

1-½ cups milk

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1.      Heat oven to 375 degrees; grease a 9x13” baking dish. Spread pie apples in the bottom of the dish, sprinkling with cheese and bacon.

2.      Mix flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large mixing bowl; add in milk and eggs, stirring well with a whisk to combine. Pour over apples, cheese and bacon, tilting baking dish to evenly distribute.

3.      Bake for 35-40 minutes at 375; let cool 5-10 minutes on a wire rack. Serve immediately.

My Mother's Outstanding Pie Apples

4-½ cups sugar

1 cup cornstarch

2 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

10 cups water

3 Tbsp lemon juice

6 pounds tart apples, peeled, cored and sliced into ½-inch thick slices

Canning equipment: water bath canner, six 1-quart jars (sterilized in dishwasher or boiling water and kept HOT), rings, and lids, washed with soap and water and kept in almost-boiling water until they go on the jars

1.      In a Dutch oven, combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and water; cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add lemon juice. Keep syrup hot over low heat and stir frequently; meanwhile, pack apples into hot jars, leaving 1” headspace in the jars. Fill with hot syrup, leaving ½ -inch headspace; adjust lids.

2.      Process in boiling water bath 15 minutes for pints, 20 minutes for quarts; for more information about canning, my favorite reference is The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest by Carol W. Costenbader.

3.      These apples, properly canned, keep for years, and can brighten up any winter's day.

Honey-Pumpkin Butter

From our CSA cookbook, Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce, this has become a family favorite. The butter freezes for several months, and comes out tasting as fresh as the day it was made; we love it with apples and cheddar cheese any time of the year.

2 cups pureed, cooked pumpkin (or one can of pumpkin from the store)

¼ cup honey

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp ginger

1/8 tsp cloves or allspice

¼ tsp salt

1) Mix all ingredients in a saucepan, simmer uncovered over low heat, stirring frequently, 35-40 minutes. The mixture should get quite thick, like a stiff apple butter, and is excellent served warm or cold.