Everyone in New England loves to go apple picking. I, for one, had never even heard of the activity until we moved to our new home in Boston. And alas, with weekend trips, cases to read and football games to watch, we were hard pressed to find time to head out to the orchards.
But meanwhile, my alma mater football team is... emm... rebuilding.
Sad yes, but interestingly enough, this provided Hubby and me the perfect opportunity to forgo ESPN Game Day watching head out to do some picking. Per a work pal's suggestion, off to
Smolak Farms we drove, eager to gather ourselves a bushel or two of crispy deliciousness.
We drove down the highway and then through some winding roads lined with foliage and paneled houses with porches cluttered with the last hydrangea blooms. We eventually made it to Andover, MA. Andover is the most charming little town and home of some fantastically old prep schools, too.
At last, we arrived.
The farm was beautiful. Instantly, I felt like I was back at
Efurd Orchards in East Texas to pick peaches, only this time, I was bundled up in a scarf and given a crazy orange picking tool that looked kind of like a lacrosse stick.
So we got to picking. Well, searching for apples to pick that is. At first, all we saw were millions of empty trees and lots of apples on the floor. Surely these are not the ones we take, right?
Right.
A few rows back and we found the trees ripe for pickin'.
Little did I know, apple orchards are gorgeous. Blame my non-regional ignorance. I'm sure it's made even by someone else who thinks I ride a horse to the office and collect tumbleweeds in my yard.
So finally, we had our batch.
About 50 apples later, we were ready to head home out of the cold to start fixing our pie.
Ahhh, the pie.
People. It was so good! And such fun to use apples we had hand-selected just hours earlier. And I know what you must be thinking... "I've never seen a lattice-topped apple pie?!" Well friends, neither have I, come to think of it. Turns out I got a bit overzealous and didn't have the foresight to realize that my apples wouldn't steam properly without adequate cover. So... if you like a crisper apple pie, you can copy me... But I suggest not copying me if you're looking for that classic melty, gooey, apple pie. If so, then cover it all up tight and consider cooking the apples down prior to placing in the pie.
Nonetheless, Hubby made his famous crust (
his mom's recipe from childhood) which was just outstanding.
I used the remaining crust to weave a topping. Takes a little patience, but sure is pretty and definitely worth the finesse to add a pretty finish (but remember...
not ideal for this kind of pie, I learned the hard way).
Into the crust went some filling - a simple mix of apples, cinnamon, flour, sugar, lemon and nutmeg. I used Martha Stewart's
Double Crust Apple Pie recipe.
Bake, serve and enjoy!
I of course think any pie is best with a healthy side of homemade whipped cream.
I'm rambling far too much, but I'll have to share Hubby's crust recipe soon. I'll do my best to get it posted before Thanksgiving.
Here's to a great week!
