'Tis The Season For Apple Picking + Baking

One perk of being in New York this time of year is experiencing the changing seasons – something we don't get much of in California. The days are getting shorter, the temperatures are dropping and the crisp air has taken on that familiar fall scent. Jeffrey and I recently spent an afternoon at Greig Farm in Red Hook, NY where we picked apples and blackberries. This fourth generation family farm is a short drive from our house and has an abundant "pick your own" orchard with over ten apple varieties. We left with twelve pounds of our favorite Gala apples and big plans to do some baking and canning. Since there isn't local produce on tap year round like in CA, we're realizing more clearly why canning is a thing.

In addition to the "pick-your-own" seasons, Greig Farms also opens up its farm trails to the public. There are three different loops that are about four miles total and it's a great opportunity to get some more of this crisp, fresh air and enjoy views of orchards and Catskill Mountains.

There's also a family of goats on the farm that I've become very fond of. If you've been following along on our farmhouse journey (@hudsonvalleyfarm), you know how much we love having these goats out on our property to help clear poison ivy and other weeds.

Picking large quantities of fruit to preserve or can is very popular out here, and for a good reason. In the winter months, fresh produce is harder to come by so it becomes convenient to have something sweet and delicious on hand. 

I've had my eye on an apple galette, inspired by the Apple Thin recipe from Round to Ours, a beautiful cookbook that we're crazy about by the founders of London-based supper club Jackson & Levine. The original recipe makes one large pastry, but we decided to make about ten smaller galettes instead. We didn't have any apricot jam on hand, so used the blackberry jam that Jeffrey made from our blackberry picking excursion a few weeks back, and it turned out to be a delicious switch up. It also calls for topping with créme fraîche, but I opted for coconut yogurt and love how the slight tang of the yogurt balances out the sweetness of the jam and apples.

I loved having the smaller individual galettes that are great afternoon snack size or post dinner treat. I'm trying to curb my chocolate addiction, so it's nice to have a little something sweet on hand when I really need it. And it was so easy to make... just roll out some puff pastry, spread some jam, pile on the apples, sprinkle some coconut sugar, slather on some butter, and throw it in the oven! (For the full recipe, you can get the book from us here)