What’s in Season: Arizona Apples! Plus Recipes for Apple Muffins, Cider & More
Arizona Apples are in Season NOW!!
Because of the extra sunshine and ability to grow year round, Arizona is a prime location for growing fruits and vegetables; some you may not expect to grow great in the desert. One fruit in particular is apples.
Arizona apples are some of the sweetest apples in the world, and popular varieties such as Gala, Pink Lady, Granny Smith, and Red and Golden Delicious are grown and harvested in Arizona orchards.
A You-Pick Apple Orchard in Safford, AZ
Our friends at Angle Apple Orchard grow the well-known varieties, as well as unique apples such as Arkansas Black, Blushing Golden, Fuji, and Elstar. Apple season is ripe at Angle Orchards with a few varieties already picked and gone but more coming including Granny Smith and Blushing Golden.
If you’re up for a day trip to Safford, you can pick your own apples during apple season and peaches during peach season. Angle Orchard is open Wednesdays from 3pm-5pm, and Fridays and Saturdays from 8am-5pm; for more information, check out their Facebook page or call 928-322-2769. Meander through their apple groves and pick your fill of apples BUT be sure to bring your own bags (BYOB)!
If you’re looking for an apple orchard closer to you, be sure to check out the Good Food Finder directory below for a comprehensive listing of Arizona apple orchards:
Recipe: Angle Orchard’s Fresh Apple Muffins
Angle Orchard’s Granny Smiths are the sweetest (tart) apples we’ve ever eaten and make the BEST pies and muffins. They shared with us their family recipe for Fresh Apple Muffins.
photo courtesy of Angle Orchard
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter or oil
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 ¼ teaspoons vanilla
1 ½ cups peeled and grated fresh Gala or Granny Smith apples (3-4 apples)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Stir dry ingredients in one bowl, stir wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
Combine the dry and the wet ingredients only when the oven is hot and muffin pans are ready.
Gently stir only until dry ingredients are wet. Do not over stir.
Butter muffin pan or use liners. Fill to ¾ full and top with the topping below.
Topping:
⅓ cup packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon butter
In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, flour and cinnamon.
Cut in butter until mixture is like coarse crumbs.
Sprinkle over tops of mixture in muffin pan
Bake for 20 minutes
Six Tips for What to Do with Fresh Apple Pickins’
Apples are in abundance now, and each variety has about a three to four week picking season. Find apples at your local Farmers Markets or pick your own at orchards, but know that the apples won’t last long. We’ve pulled together these tips and tricks on what you can do with all those apples you’ll have on hand to help them last:
Eat an apple every day (and sometimes with Peanut Butter Americano)
Eat an apple - every day!
Studies show that eating apples helps with heart and eye health. Apples are packed with fiber, vitamins and tastiness! Eating apples have been linked to better heart health, a decrease in diabetes, and has even been shown to help with asthma symptoms.
Drink your apples!
A quick tip we wished someone shared with us years ago - when running your apples through your juicer also add a half a lemon, peel and all, through the juicer, so that your apple juice retains its lovely light color. The lemon also coaxes out a bit more of the sweetness of the apple.
Ferment your apples
DIY Apple Cider: For those of us from the East Coast, apple season means fresh apple cider. You can DIY and show up those Nor’Easters by making the best tasting cider. Here’s how it’s done: Juice, add yeast, and ferment your own not-hard cider - it’s ready when you start to see bubbles. Harder cider is ready a few weeks after bubbles.
If you have nightmares of fermenting projects gone bad, pick up Arizona made cider from Cider Corps instead!
Cook your apples and make some applesauce
Maybe your apples sat on the counter too long, or you ended up buying end of season apples because you just couldn’t stop yourself. Don’t cheat yourself, treat yourself by making applesauce. It’s super easy and so much more tasty than canned applesauce from the store.
Simply combine peeled, cored and chopped apples with an inch of water in your saucepan, just a bit of sugar, honey or maple syrup and a squeeze of lemon. Cook at medium heat for 15-20 minutes, then cool a bit and mash with a fork or potato masher. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer up to 6 months.
Applesauce can be used as a substitute for oil when baking a cake or making pancakes.
Make a homemade apple pie from scratch like this one! Photo courtesy of Angle Orchard.
5. Freeze ‘em for apple pie
Frozen apples are a great way to have apples on hand for a last minute holiday pie. There are two ways to freeze apples: Pre-make your apple pie filling, cool, bag and freeze. Then pull out of the freezer about 20 minutes before filling your pie shell, fill your crust, pop it in the oven and you can have fresh apple pie any day of the week.
OR, peel, core, and slice your apples, and then soak them in a lovely lemon bath (four cups water, 2 Tablespoon lemon juice) for 15 minutes, drain and line up on parchment paper and stick in the freezer. The next morning, the apple slices can be removed from the parchment and stored in bags in your freezer for up to 6 months.
If you’re not a baker, Vicki and Jessica from One More Bite Bakery makes pretty much the best Apple pie we’ve ever tasted. They’re already accepting re-orders for Thanksgiving pies. This is NO JOKE! -- They sell out super fast!
6. Feed your dog apples!
Apples are a super healthy treat for dogs - high in vitamins A & C and fiber and low in fat. Just make sure to remove the seeds and core first since the seeds have a touch of cyanide in them. Apples are a great snack for senior dogs or pups with too much padding around the middle. In our Arizona summers, dogs seriously love those frozen apple treats.
Call for Recipes!
We’ve put out the call for recipes, but everyone has been too shy to submit any…but we know you’re cooking! Share some of your best recipes and photos with us before November 15 and help us wrap up this totally weird 2020 by showcasing your successes and creativity! Drop us an email at tanya@localfirstaz.com or contact us below!