Thursday, September 9, 2010

God's gift

We've got two fruit trees in our front yard, one apple and one pear (and a second apple tree in the sideyard); this year, we are having a bumper crop, though the pears are not yet ripe. This morning I saw two young deer enjoying what had fallen to the ground. (This is a tad remarkable considering that we live in the city.) I had been thinking about trying to make some apple butter, so I decided I'd better get out there and pick some fruit before it was too late.


As I spent time under the trees, it occurred to me that they really are quite a gift, and as I collected a tub full of apples I thought about the many benefits of the trees and their fruit. In the Spring, they bloom profusely and are quite simply stunning. I wish I had thought to snap a photo at that time! They also provide a home - this nest had robins in it earlier in the year.



Under their canopy, they offer shade and opportunities to quietly observe. They're also quite the gathering place, for sunning or feeding.



As the fruit matures, some of it falls to the ground before it's ripe. The deer aren't the only ones who enjoy it - it quickly begins to ferment and the bees and wasps cannot resist it. Since part of the pear tree hangs over the driveway, we have to quite literally shovel the smashed (run over) fruit back into the yard so we can get in and out of our cars without disturbing our stinger-bearing friends.



Finally it's time for we humans to enjoy the bounty. I'd been leery of using the fruit since we hadn't sprayed it with anything all year - most of the apples have dark spots covering them. I quickly learned, however, that this is a surface fungus. I washed and rubbed a few of them clean, and took a bite - they are wonderfully tart and a little sweet. I'm not certain, but I think they are Honeycrisp.



And speaking of 'crisp,' that's just what I made tonight, from apples picked fresh from the yard. Funny how the day led me to some really good apple crisp (recipe below) - and plenty of apples left over to make butter!



Easy Apple Crisp:

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup rolled or quick oats
1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 cups of apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease 8 inch square baking pan. In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, oats, flour and butter.. Mix until crumbly. Place half of the crumb mixture in the pan and spread evenly around the bottom. Spread the apples evenly over the crumb mixture. Sprinkle apples with sugar and cinnamon, then top with remaining crumb mixture. Bake in the pre-heated oven about 45 minutes or til golden brown.

More soon!

8 comments:

  1. How wonderful to have your own fruit trees! I always enjoyed having my grandmother's apples from her tree years ago! We live in the city, too, and I frequently see deer nearby...poor things have nowhere to go! I love apple crisp! Have a wonderful weekend!...hugs...Debbie

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  2. Debbie, thanks for stopping by! The apple crisp was fabulous and did not last long - LOL - but I have plenty of apples so will be making it again very soon. My only worry about these poor deer is the traffic - I hope they do not get hit by cars in the neighborhood! (I'd love it if they would keep away from my hostas too - LOL)

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  3. So nice to have your own apple tree! We just took our kids to an apple orchard and paid and arm and a leg to pick our own apples! Hubs made yummy apple crisp with them, first thing! Next on the list is a pie. I'll have to tell him to try apple butter as well!

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  4. What a great way to compare the transformation of something. Plus, a great recipe to boot.
    ~Kimberlee
    www.TheSpunkyDiva.blogspot.com

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  5. That looks so easy and yummy-I'll have to try it!

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  6. That looks so yummy and easy-I'll have to try it!@

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  7. LOL I have now made this apple crisp TWICE... it is really, really good! Turns out, the first time I made it, I forgot to sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon over the apples before baking. It made it look more like an apple pie in between the two layers of crumbly mixture, and of course was sweeter... but just as yummy with or without.

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  8. Beautiful post, Janet! You have some lovely photos and you've made me hungry for apple crisp!
    Beth

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