Pumpkins, apples, squashes, and harvest.  Nothing like celebrating nature’s gifts of fall.  Andy and I took a trip to Pheasantview Family Farm  where each weekend in October they open up their home-farm for people to come and pick pumpkins, take a hay ride, play with the animals, and enjoy the kiss of fall color along the wooded trails.  Pheasantview sells their organic produce and fresh eggs at the Sunbury Farmers Market May-October and they hold their own market Thursday evenings in Westerville.  Click Here to check out their website for more details!

There’s nothing like crisp, organic apples fresh and in season.  However, conventionally raised apples are one of the most heavily pesticide-sprayed crops and can be laced with multiple chemicals, meaning choosing organic varieties is especially important!  Here’s a little more information on the antibiotics that have been used in conventional apple farming: Go Organic and Local on Apples!  “Dirty Dozen” Fruits and Veggies with the most Pesticides
 
With the apple’s that we’ve gotten from their farm I decided to do a little apple-prep by chopping them up and preparing a simple and healthy “pie-filling” that can be used for apple crisps, tarts, pies, and bakes.  My grandma was the master of pies…she would prepare fillings with whatever fruit was in season and freeze them for the upcoming months.  In-season apples are 1000x better than the cold-storage grocery store apples available the rest of the year so I try to savor the flavor as long as I can!

Here’s a quick and easy gluten-free, apple cobbler or pie filling that can be prepared ahead of time while apples are plentiful and baked later with any apple dessert recipe!

Easy Apple Pie Filling

• 5 cups chopped Apples (cut into bite-sized pieces)
• 1/4 cup butter (from grass-fed cows) OR coconut oil, OR a blend of both
• 2 1/2/ tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. Nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. Allspice
• Dash of Salt
• 1/4 cup Honey
• 3 tsp. Arrowroot Powder
• In a medium saucepan, melt the butter/coconut oil over medium heat.  Add in the apples and spices; cook 10 minutes, stirring often.  Stir in the arrowroot and honey.  Simmer for another 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Can be frozen and used as a pie filling or baked into cobblers.  Optional use at a later date: Thaw and mix with 1/2 cup chopped nuts, cranberries, and/or raisins.  Sprinkle a crumb topping and Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.

 Fun Down on the Farm…