The Apple (Orchard) Of My Eye

On Monday James and I made our annual trek to Belltown Hills Orchards in South Glastonbury, CT to buy pie, some heirloom apples, and continue my quest to eat as many apple cider donuts as possible. 

Now, you might think that I'm one of those people who loves to pick their own apples. It's just so wholesome and New England-y. Well, you're wrong. As a child I was subjected to seasonal fruit-picking masked as fun. You know what isn't fun to a six year old? Picking blueberries with your grandma in the middle of a field under the hot June sun. The only good part was at the end of the day when she made Blueberry Buckle, so I guess it was worth it. Maybe as an adult it would be  different because I could leave when I wanted instead of being told to 'Stop whining and fill your basket.' Yes, Grandma. So, in celebration of my adulthood and the personal freedoms I enjoy, I choose to not go apple picking. 

However, I still enjoy visiting apple farms and reaping their bounty, or something.

                                               Ahhh, apple country

James Fun Fact #1: He is allergic to raw apples, which also happen to be his favorite fruit. Aw, sad :(

He can, however, eat cooked apples, which leads me to James Fun Fact #2: His favorite pie is apple.

Belltown was out of regular apple pies so he settled for Apple-Cranberry over the gross-sounding Maple-Apple (bleh.)

While James was perusing pies I was checking out their apple selection. As I've written before, I'm working on a book that, in a nutshell, marries literature with cooking. I've been trying to recreate a particular recipe from a particular novel that takes place in the English countryside circa 1800. The problem is that apple varieties are cross-bred so much that it can be difficult to track down the same kind of apples that existed 200 years ago. Enter heirloom apples: 

I would have preferred  Bramleys but settled for some Pippins, which were among the first apples to be brought over to the U.S. from Europe and are considered a cooking apple. Perfect!

However, while I was bagging my apples I looked over and spotted these:

I have been reading about quince since I started this book project last winter. The problem was 1.) It wasn't fall and 2.) The once popular fruit can be hard to find. It isn't exactly the kind of fruit you'll find at the supermarket (or even Whole Foods. I checked.) So, I was super excited when I saw these. Can't wait to cook with them!

Once we were loaded down with pie, apples, and quince it was time for donuts:

Belltown makes apple cider and pumpkin donuts every day and they are awesome. Light, soft, and flavorful. The pumpkin donut is particularly good. One bite and I wanted to take back all those stupid, over-sugared Dunkin Donuts versions I've had. Totally not worth it. Belltown donuts? Definitely worth it.

 

Plus, you get to eat your amazing donuts outside surrounded by mums! Who wouldn't like that?