Take a bite out of the Delicious New York State apple

Columbus Day weekend brings with it the height of apple picking season. If you are in Upstate New York, especially Western, your buckets are probably runneth over with Delicious, McIntosh and Cortlands. So what to do with all of those apples? Here are two recipes to try after a day of apple picking. Perfect for an indoor picnic on a chilly autumn night.

Apple Crusted Pork

1 boneless pork chop
3 slices, ground whole wheat bread
2 inches fennel fronds
½ coarsely chopped onion
1 coarsely chopped tart apple
2 sprigs fresh sage
1 Tbsp. ground thyme
2 tsp. brown kosher sea salt
Ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 farm fresh egg
½ lemon

1. In a mini-chop, ground the 3 slices of whole wheat bread. Put in a separate glass bowl. Combine fennel fronds, onion, apple, sage, thyme, 1 tsp. sea salt, and ground black pepper, to taste, in the same food processor until finely chopped. Mix with the bread and season with freshly ground pepper.


2. In a small-size skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.
3. In a glass bowl, whisk the egg and marinate the pork chop.
4. Coat the pork chop with the mini-chop mixture.
5. Brown the pork chop on both sides, until it’s no longer pink in the middle, in the skillet, about 10 minutes on each side.
6. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the top.

Still have apples? Splurge on dessert!

Apple Crumb

Heat oven to 350 degrees
Spread in 8-inch square pan: 4 cups sliced apples
Sprinkle with mixture of:
¼ cup water
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
Work together until crumbly using pastry blender:
1 cup sugar
¾ cup sifted Gold Medal Flour
1/3 cup soft butter
Spread crumb mixture over apples
Bake uncovered about 40 minutes
Serve warm with rick milk
6 servings

Apple anecdotes

Small local apple producers tend to use fewer pesticides, especially when apples are in season.

Eating the peel of an apple is healthier for you. It contains 2/3 of the fiber and loads of welcome antioxidants.