Healthy, fresh, oh-so-good apple butter

Perfect, sweet, local Cortland apples. Good enough to eat raw every single day, but as I mentioned in my last post, I wanted to try my hand at apple butter.

I'd found a recipe on one of my favorite healthy-eating blogs (Eating Bird Food, which I've mentioned here before), and it sounded so good, so fall-like, and so easy, that I had to try it.

The only part that made me a little nervous was that it called for the apples to be cooked in the crock pot for 15 hours. Fifteen?! I cross-referenced the idea in a Fix-It and Forget-It cookbook, and sure enough, all apple butter recipes called for it to be cooked for 15-18 hours. Wow! Knowing my crock pot tends to run a little hot, I was still nervous, but I put on my game face and gave it a try.

The recipe is very simple and very easy. I was especially drawn to the fact that it has no added sugar, so it's very healthy.

Healthy Homemade Apple Butter
From Eating Bird Food

Ingredients:
10 medium-sized apples (I used Cortland. Pick a sweet variety, since there's no extra sugar.)
2 cups unsweetened apple juice (I used R.W. Knudsen's organic 100% apple juice)
1/4 cup water
1/4 apple cider vinegar
1 T cinnamon
1/2 t pure vanilla extract
1/4 t ground cloves
1/4 t ground nutmeg
pinch of sea salt

1. Place cored and sliced apples (not peeled—easy!) into a crock pot/slow cooker. (Mine's a smaller-variety crock pot.)
2. Pour juice on top of the sliced apples. Add water, vinegar, and spices. Stir all ingredients together, cover the pot, and let it cook on low for 15 hours.
3. The liquid and the apples will reduce to about 1/2 their original volume. They'll be very soft and dark. Turn the crock pot off and let it cool down for about 30 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until completely smooth.
4. Let it cool, then transfer into storage containers. My batch only made about 2 full pints of apple butter, so it's not a huge recipe. Store in the fridge for a few weeks, or freeze for later!

As I said, my crockpot is on the smaller side, so 10 apples filled it.

I started the batch at about 5:00 p.m. on Saturday evening, so it finished at 8:00 a.m. Sunday morning. It smelled wonderfully after just an hour or two, so it really started driving me crazy. I always get a little nervous about letting something cook overnight, wondering what the state of my kitchen counter will be when I wake up, and that, combined with the scent that filled the house, meant I had a really restless night of sleep. I was awake every two hours.

Thankfully, the smoke alarm never went off, everything stayed in the pot, and it turned out perfectly. (Hooray!) This is how the apples looked when I woke up:

After a quick whir in the blender, I had two pints of perfect, delicious, healthy apple butter. It's a little more tart than what you'll find in a store, but it really doesn't need any sugar added. By choosing a sweet variety of apple, it's plenty sweet on its own. 

It's so good, I have to really resist standing by the fridge and just eating it out of the jar with a spoon.

Now I'm trying to think of all the ways I can eat it. Spreading it on toast or biscuits is an easy answer. I stirred it into my hot cereal this morning, and that worked very well.

Any other suggestions? How do you like to eat apple butter?

Apple blossoms

I'm not sure if I've ever actually eaten one of the apples grown on this tree, but the blossoms are so delicate and beautiful and draw me in every spring.

Apples are, hands-down, one of my favorite fruits. I love how versatile they are, whether you want to eat one all by itself, in a salad, in oatmeal, as dessert, with peanut butter, or cooked low and slow into homemade apple butter.

I also love that you can find decent apples in the grocery store during many months of year. Unlike strawberries or tomatoes, which are more delicate and have zero flavor outside their natural growing season, it seems like apples are a little heartier and are still worth eating.

Though nothing is better than fresh apples, grown locally, and picked just hours or days before.

We have another five months to wait in central Indiana before that time comes back around, though, so I'm content to enjoy the blossoms on the tree for now.

My favorite apple orchard

Welcome to fall! One thing I always look forward to doing at this time of year is going and getting fresh apples from my favorite local orchard: Beasley's Orchard in Danville.

It was because of Beasley's that I first discovered Gala apples, and they've become my all-time favorite. This year I tried a new variety, though, and it comes in at a very close second: Cortland.

Beasley's Orchard has a market inside a Civil War-era barn, and you can smell the sweet apples and spices before you walk in the door.

They go far beyond selling apples. You'll find everything from apple and pumpkin butter to local honey, maple syrup, popcorn, pumpkins, squash, and fresh vegetables. I made a trip today and couldn't resist getting a pint of pumpkin butter with my 1/2 peck of Cortlands.

If you're looking to support a local food producer—and maybe want a little fall field trip—I highly recommend you go for a visit.

I have my first-ever batch of apple butter cooking in my crock pot as I type. I'll share the results (and the recipe, if it's good) soon!

91/365 This is what organic looks like

Organic food isn't always pretty. And unfortunately, that does turn some people away.

Mom and Dad don't spray their apple tree, and as a result, both the apples and the leaves end up rather bug-eaten. (What can I say, at least the bugs have good taste!) The apples are perfectly good, though they'll require a little extra selective labor to cut away the bad parts. If you're making applesauce, apple cider, apple butter, apple jam, it doesn't matter; you'll get an end result that is wonderfully delicious and chemical-free. Now that sounds tasty.

I hope more people will learn to look past an often less-attractive exterior to reach for the organic option. In my opinion, it's worth it.

Camera: Canon 40D, 1/125s, f/4.5 at ISO 160 at about 7:30 p.m. in direct sunlight

Warm salads: my go-to cold-weather meal

Happy New Year! It's hard to believe that we've begun yet another year on the calendar, and it's time to get back to work after the holidays.

Today I want to share with you one of my favorite go-to meals for this time of year. It's a versatile dish I affectionately call a warm salad.

I started eating these a couple years ago when I found this recipe for a Cous Cous Salad with Winter Squash and Cranberries at TheKitchn. To be honest, I've never actually made the recipe exactly as written (which is not uncommon for me). But it's endlessly variable when you step back and look at the essential ingredients. What you'll need:

• A whole grain, to form your base. In the original recipe, it's cous cous. I have brown rice a lot, and I've also had this with quinoa (with great success), buckwheat and millet, to name a few. Pick your favorite and go with it. 
• A vegetable. Lately I've been using lots of sweet potatoes/yams, but I highly recommend butternut squash and beets, too. I've had it with broccoli, cauliflower, and other squashes, as well. 
• Protein, usually in the form of nuts or beans. Again, pick your favorite, or what sounds good that day, and go with it. 
• Fruit, whether dried or fresh.
• A little cheese, if you like. Feta is my favorite.
• And dressing. The original recipe has a dressing included, but I most often have this with an Italian vinaigrette. 

Once you have all those items on hand, you're ready to get to work! Here's my method:

Whole grain: I like to fix a batch of whole grain and have enough on hand for several meals during the week. Try this super-easy baked brown rice from Alton Brown. It's amazing. You'll need a 1/2 cup or so of cooked grain for one serving.

Next, add your vegetable. Sweet potatoes and yams are easily cooked one at a time in the microwave like a baked potato. Depending on the size, I usually use about half of one sweet potato for one serving. Roasted beets are great, too. Whatever you pick, cook it (or warm up your leftovers) and add it to the whole grain.

Next, add your fruit. Apples are readily available right now, and they make a wonderful combination with both sweet potatoes and beets. I'm generous with the apples, so I usually dice one small apple for one serving.

Finally, add your protein (Whole Foods' wonderful raw cashews pictured here), cheese, if you like, and dressing.

I mentioned that my favorite cheese to use is feta. In the picture above, I've used feta cheese made from goat's milk. For the last year, I've reduced my dairy intake, and in many cases (milk in my tea, little bits of cheese), I reach for goat's milk as an alternative. The nutritionist I worked with last year recommended it for me primarily because you'll find lower levels of hormones in goat's milk as compared to traditional cow's milk. I've gotten used to it and really like this feta, which I get at Whole Foods.

Voila! A versatile, warm, satisfying meal that is easy to throw together on a week night after work. I made this for my mom a couple months ago for the first time, and she's now hooked, too. Enjoy!

121/365 A tour through the produce department

I love wandering through the produce department at the grocery store. One reason I love it is you sometimes stumble upon things like this -- and you discover what food looks like in its original state.

I, for one, didn't realize that whole horseradish looks like a femur dug up from an Egyptian crypt. Did you know that?

When I see things like this, I always have to wonder about the very first person who decided to try eating it. Were they desperate for food and thinking, "Well, I'm already going to die from starvation, so if this turns out to be poisonous, it will just speed up the process. Might as well give it a try!"? Why did they decide to try it?

I can easily understand the desire to try eating the more beautiful foods -- brightly colored berries, apples and oranges, tomatoes (though people used to think they weren't edible)... But then I see horseradish, kiwi, ginger, and even pineapple and coconuts, and I have to wonder.

One thing I'm sure of: the folks at St. Elmo's in downtown Indianapolis are glad that first person was brave enough to try eating horseradish! Their cocktail sauce wouldn't be the same without it.

What's another food that you have to be sure to not judge by its exterior?

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD1000 in fluorescent lighting

213/365 Farm Fresh Delivery

Forgive me for making this a little bit of an advertisement, but I've recently signed up for a service that I find incredibly cool.

It's Farm Fresh Delivery. They deliver organic produce and natural groceries to your door on a weekly basis.

Some friends of mine have raved about this service for years, but I just now live in an area where they deliver. Here's how it works: You set up a standing order (of at least $35) that includes a bin of fresh produce. Each week, depending on what is available, fresh and in season, they compile a mix of fruits and vegetables (amounts are based on the size of your order) and deliver it to either your home or office -- with no delivery charge!

They also have natural groceries in their store, so for my order last week, I added a box of pasta, a loaf of fresh whole wheat bread, and a bar of dark chocolate. All you have to do is set the green bin out on your doorstep on the day of your scheduled delivery, then they bring your items -- packed in insulated bags and/or with frozen ice blocks if necessary -- and fill your bin.

Last week my produce consisted of a spaghetti squash, red potatoes, portobello mushrooms, three yellow beets, salad mix, red pears, apples, and black grapes.

I signed up to make sure I get plenty of fresh variety in my diet. I figure if I've already paid for it and it's delivered right to my door, I'll feel compelled to eat it, right? It's a lot easier to pass it by in the produce aisle at the grocery store than when it's staring you in the face on your counter.

Here's to home cooking and fresh produce!

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD1000 in mixed lighting

136/365 Starfruit from Florida

For the past few months, I've been working with a nutritionist to see if I can make some health improvements through eating habits alone. It's been an interesting learning process, and it's definitely an adjustment!

One of my fears going in was that she would tell me to cut dairy products out of my life, and I love dairy. Milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream... serve it up! Sure enough, one of her first recommendations was to cut back on it. Surprisingly, it hasn't been as difficult as I expected it to be. Soy milk isn't an option, but I've found that the So Delicious milk substitute made from coconut milk is very good, and I learned I can live with goat's milk, as well (go figure).

At our last meeting, she brought me a couple of starfruit from her sister-in-law's tree in Florida. I can't imagine having these growing on a tree in the yard! I'm so used to Midwestern fare like berries and apples that it's strange to think about having your own starfruit -- or even orange -- tree in the yard.

I have to say, though, the starfruit was fun to photograph, but not so great to eat. It had no real flavor, and I expected it to be sweeter. It may not have been quite ripe, so I'll try giving it the benefit of the doubt.

Camera: Canon 40D with 60mm macro lens, 1/250s, f/4 at ISO 100 by a window in natural light at about 4:00 p.m.

217/365 Apple season

The fall festival at the orchard concluded, and we finally have a replenished apple supply.

These are Ida Reds, Mom's favorite, and they're huge! Each one is about the size of a large softball. They're excellent apples for cooking, so she made apple crisp for dessert last night... heavenly.

My favorites are Galas. They're smaller, and their color is more red and yellow than red and green, like the Ida Reds.

I take some kind of fruit with me to work every day as a mid-morning snack, so an apple has been my latest fruit of choice. The only problem is when they're good and juicy, I can't really sit it down anywhere while I'm working, so I have to pause what I'm doing.

Well, maybe that's actually not such a bad thing.

Camera: Canon 40D, lit by a single fluorescent bulb, 1/60s, f/4.5 at ISO 1250.

174/365 Mum's the word

Mums are in abundance right now, with fall right around the corner. This yellow mum in my parents' yard is so vividly yellow in the sunshine that I really had to adjust my exposure to capture it properly.

Can it really be mid-September with me beginning to talk about fall? As is true nearly every year, I feel like this spring and summer totally passed me by.

I admit I'm enjoying some orchard-fresh apples already, and I'm looking forward to doing some fall clothes shopping!

Now if that doesn't get you excited, what else will?

Camera: Canon 40D with 60mm macro lens, 1/1000s, f/2.8 at ISO 100 in direct sunlight at about 6:00 p.m.