Vegan Mofo: Apple Picking

Saturday this week I joined some friends for a little ol' fashioned apple picking. It was one of the first crisp fall days we've had and the air was full of cinnamon aroma and to our surprise the sun peeked out from the rain-clouds just as we got there.

Living in a city, our grocery stores are often stuffed with a vast array of top-dollar produce, but sometimes you need to get out of the smog and spend a day in the woods...or orchard I suppose.

We drove out to Stribling Orchard in Markham Virginia. For my fellow DC folks it's about an hour or so out of the city - sans traffic - so count on a little longer. At the moment you can pick Golden Delicious, McIntosh, Jonathan, Rome and Stayman apples. Of course we sampled all 5!

Picking your own apples is great because it gets you out on the farm and you don't have to worry about apples that were shipped across the continent or that yucky wax coating that gets put on grocery store apples! There are tons of options for pick-your-own places. Check here for farms near you.

I haven't decided what to make just yet. My go to is usually Love Soup's Apple Crumble. Any suggestions for me?






Also, check out these fellow MoFo-ers recipes!

Sour Cream and Onion Kale Chips at Cupcakes and Kale

Smokey Mushroom Slowcooker Soup at Vegan Yack Attack

Herbivore Cheese Scones at Vegan Chicks Rock -I can't wait to make these! Reminds me of the only reason I loved Red Lobster, the cheese biscuits!

Vegan Candy Apples done seven ways for each dwarf (she makes her food on movie themes!) at Vegan Cine Grub

Velvety Collard Soup at In My Vegan Life

Apple Crumble

I can't say enough good things about Love Soup. Except for this. There are no pictures! Regardless, I love this book and would reccomend it to anyone who loves simple, healthy, delicious food.

I have made this recipe for Farmhouse Apple Crumble several times now and each time it has been met with the happy sounds of people scraping their plates. I've made slight changes to the recipe after trying it her way - but really this recipe is quite a gem.



Farmhouse Apple Crumble

For the Apples
3-4 apples (I use a mix of Granny Smith and Pink Lady)
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup raw or brown sugar

For the crumble
6 tbsp cold vegan butter spread
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
3/4 cup raw or brown sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats

1. Preheat the oven to 375
2. Cut each apple into thin slices, removing the seeds and peel as you go. I cut each apple in half and then make 4 slices with each half. In a small bowl, combine the sliced apples with the lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar. Use your hands or a spoon to coat the apples with the other ingredients. Dump the apples into a casserole dish.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, rolled oats and brown sugar and mix well. Cut in the butter. You can use a pastry knife here or your hands (use your hands! its more fun). After the mixture has come together and can form a loose, sticky ball, start taking little handfuls and dropping them over the apples, making sure to cover all holes and gaps for a uniform soon-to-be crunchy top.
4. Pop the crumble in the oven for 45-50 minutes or until its all bubbly and golden. Serve hot or room temperature.



Mes amis français m'ont demandé pour la recette, donc voila! En français maintenant! Ça c'est le crumble de pomme que j'ai fait plusieurs fois pendent que j'étais en France.



Crumble de Pomme

Pour les Pommes
3 ou 4 pommes, enlever les pépins, peler, et couper (j'utilise un mélange de pommes rose et vert)
45 ml jus de citron
50 g cassonade ou sucre
1 cuillère a café de cannelle
1 demi cuillère a café de noix de muscade en poudre

Pour le Crumble
65 g farine (j'utilise de la farine complet)
150 g cassonade
50 g flocons d'avoine
90 g de margarine végétale (ou du beurre, comme vous voulez)

1. Préchauffez le four a 190 C
2. Dans un saladier mélangez la cannelle, le sucre, la muscade et le jus de citron. Ajoutez les pommes, mélangez tous et mettez-le dans une cocotte (c'est ca? en anglais c'est a casserole, mais je sais que ca c'est pas le même chose en français).
3. Dans un deuxième saladier, mélangez les ingrédients pour le crumble jusqu'à vous pouvez le mettre sous forme d'une balle. Mettez le crumble au dessus les pommes.
4. Enfournez pour 45-55 minutes, ou jusqu'à le crumble sois doré. Servez-le chaud ou temp ambiante.

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