Ok, time to finish up our 2 part post regarding caring for your apple trees. Our vintage trees here are the farm are obviously very old and set in their ways. But when you are first starting out or have younger trees, its ideal to do some apple tree training with them. 

What is apple tree training? You simply tie the branches together to help the tree keep its shape and maintain good health. The practice of training an apple tree actually takes many years. A caregiver should look at an apple tree's trunk then try to create an arrangement of limbs (growing outward from the trunk) that have plenty of room to expand. Many farmers train their apple trees so that the branches are longer on the bottom and shorter at the top of the tree. This makes sure each and every branch is able to receive sunlight. As an added benefit, this adds to the beauty of the tree as well. 

One other item to consider when you are growing apple trees is making sure you keep an eye out for any diseases that can effect your orchard. We have been lucky to escape any problems like this over the years.  Sometimes mildew can form on the leaves of an apple tree. This mildew looks like a white powder on the leaves. This happens when an apple tree is exposed to too much dampness or humidity. Proper pruning as discussed in our prior post can help in the prevention this. Apple scab is another disease we've heard can effect your apple crop. The disease gets its name because of the scabs that are often discovered on the surface of the apples themselves. Dark spots also appear on the tree's leaves. Once again, areas with a lot of dampness can contribute to the development of this disease. As long as your trees get ample light and sunshine, you should be protected from this problem.

Finally you will reach the harvest. Its the best part. We wait to harvest our apples until after the first frost of the fall. Ripe apples have a firm exterior as well as a crisp texture. You may be tempted to harvest as soon as you see apples begin to fall to the ground, but you will want to wait. Fallen apples that are rotting should be cleared away so they don't attract bugs or other animals. Once you harvest your apples, you will want to store them in a cool dry spot. We love pressing ours into cider and of course making all sorts of pies and treats. We look forward to sharing many recipes with you here when harvest time comes! 

Caesar Salads are one of our easy go to meals. We aren't big on bottled dressings around here. In fact, I don't think I've bought a bottle of salad dressing in years! Why would you want to when you can whip up a homemade version that tastes better, is less expensive, and just as easy? This salad is so good. A garlicy dressing with a savory bite to it, the salty parmesan  and don't get me started on these crunchy on the outside chewy on the inside herbalicious croutons. So so good. 

Dressing: 
1 tsp salt
1 garlic clove (minced in a garlic press)
3 tsp anchovy paste
2 egg yolks (no whites!) 
1 tbs dijon mustard
Juice of 2 lemons
2 tbs water
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup grated parmesan 
1/2 tsp pepper 
Mix all of your dressing ingredients in a mini prep food processor as you add them so that the olive oil can emulsify. If you don't have a mini prep, you can use a whisk, just beat it super hard until it all mixes together.)

Salad: 
2 heads romaine lettuce, washed, spun in salad spinner, and cut up into bite sized pieces
Homemade croutons (see recipe below)
1/3 cup grated parmesan
1-2 breasts cooked chicken, cut up into bite sized pieces and cooled

Croutons: 
Cut 1/2 of an Italian loaf bread into large squares. 
Spray the bread with your olive oil mister. (Or just drizzle if you don't have a mister).
Sprinkle liberally with Italian seasoning.
Season with salt and pepper. 
Bake in oven at 425 for 10 minutes. 
These are flavorful, crunchy on the outside yet a little tender on the inside. They are much healthier and yummier than any type of crouton you can get in the store. Look at these beauties!

Once you have your dressing and croutons made, you can simply assemble your salad and serve it immediately  This will make about 4 meal sized salads. This is the type of caesar salad you would expect to be served at a lovely restaurant, only now you can enjoy it at home in just minutes. 

Bon Appetite! 

If anything signals the end of winter to me, its a good broccoli salad. My toddler is currently obsessed  with broccoli. Like asks for it for breakfast obsessed. I was getting pretty bored with just plained steamed broccoli, so I decided a nice savory broccoli salad was in order. This is a wonderfully flavorful salad. It has a lovely crunch from the bacon pieces and the toasted almonds (toasted in bacon grease!) yum. It has bits of lovely sweetness from the cranberries, and is loaded with vitamins. 

Ingredients: 
8 ounces bacon
2 heads broccoli florets 
1/3 cup onion, chopped
1 cup mayo
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
3 tablespoons sugar
handful of dried cranberries 
1/3 cup slivered almonds 
Salt & Pepper 

Cook your bacon on medium heat in a large frying pan until nice and crispy, let it dry out on a paper towel then chop into small peices. Pour your bacon grease from the pan, but don't wipe out your pan. You will then toast your almonds in the nice bits of bacon grease left in the pan. This will add a lovely depth of flavor to your almonds. Watch your almonds closely because on medium heat they will only take 3 minutes or so to become a nice golden color. Remove from the pan and set aside. 

Steam your broccoli (do not boil it) for only 3 minutes. Then submerge it in cold water for 30 seconds to stop the cooking process. Drain your broccoli and set aside. 

Mix your onion, mayo, vinegar, dijon, and sugar together in a large bowl. Salt and Pepper to taste. Add your broccoli to this bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour. When ready to serve, add your bacon pieces and almonds and stir. You can keep the remaining leftovers in the refrigerator for several days. 

This salad has a wonderful full flavor. Its a great way to eat vegetables and fruit in the same serving, and still get protein from the bacon and nuts. You won't be sorry you tried this. 

Enjoy!

The steak in this salad is so so good. After eating this for dinner tonight I have all sort of garlicy red meat dreams running through my head. This marinated meat would be good on a bed of rice, inside of an asian stir fry, so many things. I'll have to get back to you with my "to be continued" ideas for this delicious meat. But back to tonights featured attraction, this wonderful asian citrus steak salad. I love that this salad uses skirt steak. Its relatively inexpenisive, but will still fix your "I need red meat" craving. The soy and garlic flavors of the meat are balanced by the sweetness of the oranges and lime juice. Its a real winner. 

 

Steak Marinade:

• 1/4 cup soy sauce  
• Juice of 1 lime
• Juice of 1 orange 
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger  
• 1 large garlic clove, minced  

Salad Ingredients: 

• 1 lb skirt steak
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of good olive oil  
• Juice of 2 limes 
• Salt and Pepper 
• 1 head green leaf lettuce
• 1 head broccoli, washed, trimmed
• 1 orange 
• Chinese Noodles or Crispy Wontons for garnish

Directions: Place your soy sauce, lime juice, orange juice, ginger, and garlic all in a large zip lock bag. Add your steak to the bag and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Heat up a grill or cast iron grill pan to medium high heat. Remove your steak from the marinade bag and discard the marinade. Grill the meat for 2 minutes on each side, then let rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes. What a beautiful piece of meat!

While the meat rests, assemble your dressing. Your dressing is simply your olive oil, juice of 2 limes, and a little salt and pepper to taste. Whisk together. Peel and cut up your orange into small slices. Once your meat is done resting, cut it diagonally into small bit sized slices. Place your lettuce, oranges, broccoli on a platter, lay your steak on top of the salad and add your dressing. Add your Chinese noodles for a little crunch. 

 

This is a nice hearty salad because of the red meat, but it still manages to not feel heavy due to the sweetness of the citrus. Its a lovely easy meal. And the rich flavor the marinade adds to the meat is delish. Enjoy!