Apple season has a different time frame depending on where in California you are. For example:
Northern California Apple Season: 25 July – 30 November
Southern California Apple Season: 15 July – 25 September
San Luis Obispo is half way in between and sometimes worlds apart. I do think our Apple Tree which produces much of the year is a bit different. This season we have been swamped with apples… and I am seeing a ‘second season’ appearing with the beginning of new blossoms!
Laura loves applesauce and I love apple pies. We have a real division of labor… I have the pleasure of pealing, coring , adding the cinnamon sticks, seas salt and lemon juice… with Laura adding the final seasoning and brown sugar to her taste … after all, she’s the one who will enjoy it!
I wonder if you can have too many apples? We’ve been makingLaura’s apple sauce recipeconstantly! I think Laura has enough apple sauce until the next season… however, I have seen new blossoms blooming again!
Seems like I will get an entire freezer for apple pies after all!
We’ve been playing around with the basic recipe to see if we could make it even more satisfying and I think we have taken a big step forward with the addition of Pistachios and chocolate! Makes a great snack at 10am and 3pm to help you keep on track with your diet!
I am not a health nut… I enjoy butter, cane sugar, prefer cream in my coffee and I enjoy cooking yummy things designed to bring a smile. However, on occasion, I use a few already prepared products as a short cut and I was astonished to discover that high fructose corn syrup was an ingredient in my Rice Krispies! When did all of this happen? The fact is… I like to avoid ‘high fructose corn syrup’ and I will leave it to the scientists to explain why.
It doesn’t take a genius to realize that if two rats given equal calories and the only difference is that the rat getting ‘high fructose corn syrup’ becomes obese… well, maybe that is what is really happening to us!
It’s becoming harder and harder to shop in the grocery store… time for ordinary folks to learn that cooking requires more than a microwave… unless you like those larger sizes.
Almost everyone remembers making some sort of snack bars growing up. Either it was a ‘Rice Krispie treats’, Smoores or a more exotic fruit bar that made everyone smile. Remembering those days, we started thinking about making a better bar.
Many folks today enjoy a snack bar of some sort, but be careful to read the label as some contain ingredients which are not always the best for you in the long run. Personally, I like to avoid high fructose corn syrup which is appealing to many in that it is cheaper than regular cane sugar and 70% sweeter…. but it has drawn some serious questions. Now it is only a correlation, but obesity in America took off just about the same time as high fructose corn syrup became the mainstream sugar of choice for manufacturers. However, by making stuff yourself , you can avoid a lot of this ( although — admittedly — some items in this recipe contain questionable ingredients … but I am working on substitutes for them as well).
I also want to keep the eventual snack portions about 130 calories each and add nuts and chocolate when I am done. I am even toying with a sweet Coffee snack… we’ll see where this adventure takes us!
