Fruits of Our Labor

"Not that there is anything intrinsically wrong with supermarket apples. They still have more or less the same health benefits and versatility in the kitchen. They just aren’t going to make your heart beat faster." - "The Pick of the Apple Orchard," New York Times

That's right, people: picking apples makes your heart beat faster. Or at least makes you feel closer to the food you eat and the harvest of this season. Jonathan and I picked apples for the first time this weekend at Eckert's Farm in Belleville, IL. It was finally a cooler fall day and we didn't have much planned for Sunday so we drove out to the farm -- along with 100 other families in the metro area, I'm sure. There are plenty of other activities at Eckert's for kids and families, but we focused our energy on the apple trees and the pumpkin patch. We picked Honey Crisp and Fuji ... 22 pounds to be exact! Yeah, we went a little bit overboard -- blame that quickening heart beat!

But almost more fun than picking all those apples is the subsequent creative fest of cooking and baking with them. We came home, ran to the store and then got cooking on the following:

Apple Pie

Chunky Apple Sauce (and Pork Chops)

Cinnamon Pecan Apple Muffins

But we're just scratching the surface! Today must have been national apple day or something (no offense, Columbus Day) because I was bombarded with apple recipes from friends, family and social media. Hey, I'm not complaining. Here's my shortened list for now:

Cheddar Apple Biscuits
Apple Ginger Soup
Pulled Korean BBQ Pork Apples
Apple Pie Fritters
Poached Pear (Apple) Salad

Have a favorite apple recipe you think we should try? Send it my way! Seriously, this is our bottom refrigerator drawer right now (only after Jonathan took about five pounds of apples to work).