With the fall comes apples and apple picking. Being that it’s already past Halloween, we’ve gone a few times. We even picked pears in early September.
Imagine how much cider you could make with all those pears on the ground.
By now this apple picking thing is old hat for me. We pick the apples, and then we eat them. I sure do love apples.
I’m performing quality control on this apple. The brown on it means it’s russeted.
This past weekend, we picked more than 60 pounds! We’re stocking up for the winter, but we also want to make applesauce and apple pies. (Crumbles, rather, since they’re much easier to make than pies, as they don’t have a crust!)
It was sunny but really cold this day. The cold will be perfect for storing all the apples we picked until we can gobble them up.
I’m getting pretty good at making these apple crumbles. Mama hasn’t put in anything like raisins or cranberries or pomegranate arils, but don’t let that stop you from doing it. And don’t let anything keep you from making a crumble!
Love, Jude
Apple Crumble
(This is one of Mama’s loosey-goosey recipes, so feel free to improvise.)
4 or 5 apples (multi-variety*), peeled, cored, and sliced or chopped as desired
Brown sugar
Whole-wheat flour
Ground cinnamon
Ground cloves
Ground nutmeg
(other spices, as desired)
Rolled oats
2 tablespoons butter (or so)
Preheat oven to 350˚F.
Prepare the apples. I like to use this nifty crank to peel the apples, and then Mama sometimes uses a fancy apple corer to break the apple apart.
I can only use this with supervision because Mama says the peeler is sharp.
This corer is a lot harder to use than it looks.
Once the apples are all sliced or chopped, put them in a bowl, and add some brown sugar (to taste), a handful of flour, and spices as desired. The flour will help thicken the juices as they seep out of the cooking apples.
Mama lets me add the spices. I like cinnamon, so I gave it an extra shake.
Maybe Mama shouldn’t entrust me with the spices…
Mix with your hands or a large spoon. I had to wash my hands after doing this! Pour it all into a pie plate. Spread the apples so they lie relatively evenly. To the bowl, add more flour and brown sugar, a couple handfuls of oats, and more spices (if desired). Mama didn’t add any more cinnamon to our crumble topping. Stir it all up. (I happen to like using the whisk.
Get everything for the streusel good and blended.
Now smoosh in the butter. Two tablespoons is just what we used. You can use more or less, but try to get at much butter covered by as much streusel mixture as you can. “I think I need to wash my hands again,” I told Mama.
Blend the butter into the topping any way you like. I didn’t really care for getting butter all over my fingers.
Then sprinkle the streusel topping over the fruit in an even layer.
I helped make this!
Bake until golden and the apples are soft, about 45 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before digging in. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream. And, whatever you do, don’t hold it hostage until your kid finishes his dinner. That’s just mean.
Mama and I high-fived and told each other, “Good pie!”
Note: Mama likes to use several varieties of apples in both her pies and her applesauce. The tarter ones balance out the sweeter ones, and the softer and crisper ones add texture.
LittleJudeonFood 
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