Fall in love with apples: a spectrum of colors and flavors
I think fall is really here now. There’s that snap in the air that tells me it’s October, as the leaves begin to slip into their autumn colors and the sky takes on that kind of clear blue sparkle that heralds the winter season ahead. It’s the kind of weather that literally makes me bounce down the street to the farmers market, which is really at its peak right now, full of butternut squash and Bosc pears, the sweetest spinach of the season, and every kind of apple under the sun.
While I do love the hustle and bustle of the farmers markets in fall, there is something really magical about heading out to a pick-your-own orchard on a picture-perfect fall day and loading up on apples that you’ve plucked out of the trees with your very own hands. I’m not sure that it’s really that much less expensive to pick your own apples instead of buying them at the farmers market or the grocery store, but this kind of trip is just all about the experience. For those of us who live in cities or suburbs, it’s good to shake off our daily routine and head out into the countryside to feast our eyes on open farmland and maybe get our hands dirty in the process.
It’s on an outing like this when my Transitions lenses come in handy, as I wander among the shady trees in the cool sunshine of a fall afternoon, filling bushel baskets with Macintosh, Fuji, Braeburn, and Granny Smith apples, ready to make every recipe I can dream up on the drive home. And because Transitions lenses continually adjust to changing light, I can see perfectly throughout my apple adventure, even as the October sun sets across the winding roads leading back to my kitchen.
There’s a real spectrum of flavor when it comes to apples, along with their beautiful array of colors, from deepest ruby red to bright shiny green. The tart Rome apple is tailor-made for apple sauce and pie, while fragrant JonaGold is my choice for munching straight off the tree. When I do get those apples home, I’ll have my sights set on getting them into everything under the sun, adding a touch of sweetness to a rich beef stew or a perky tang to buttery tea breads. Give your hand a try at my Rustic Bacon-Apple Pie, which I think provides just the right balance between sweet and savory flavors, in much the same way that Transitions lenses seem to magically balance both light and shade.
It’s the season to fall in love — with apples, with sunshine, with the promise of good things to come. Enjoy every moment while it lasts.
* Disclosure: Post sponsored by Transitions Lenses. Opinions are my own.
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