I’m on the porch in celebration of apple season,
which runs September through November here in North Carolina.
Iâm beyond ready for hay rides and cider!
đ NC ranks seventh in apple production in the United States and has over 200 commercial apple operations comprised of 9,000 bearing acres of apple orchards.
đ Up to 4 million bushels of apples can be produced in a given year.
đ Forty percent of the stateâs crop is marketed as fresh apples through packing operations and direct marketing outlets while the remaining 60% is utilized in the processing industry, mainly as applesauce and juice.
đ When storing apples at home, always refrigerate your apples. Apples will ripen and turn soft 10 times faster at room temperature.
My DIY Apple Spice Wreath is hanging on the porch in celebration.
Pick your own apples at one of the many pick-your-own farms. . .
Or pick up a pot of mums at Lowe’s and place it in an apple bucket. ;)
The age-old adage, âAn apple a day keeps the doctor awayâ is more and more substantiated. . .
đ Apples are rich in pectin. Pectin and mild acids found in apples help fight body toxins and aid digestion. Pectin too has been associated with helping to keep cholesterol levels in balance and is significant in helping to reduce the incidence of certain types of heart disease. Studies have shown that personâs eating apples regularly have fewer headaches and other illnesses associated with nervous tension.
đ Other studies have demonstrated an association of regular apple consumption with a reduced incidence of colds and other upper respiratory ailments.
đ The mild nature and low acidic content of apples are more readily accepted and digested by infants, and causes less colic and rash-related disorders.
 I harvested some favorite apple recipes from the archives to help celebrate fall and apple season. . .
And the apples of my eye, Lola and Sophie, are here to share my favorite recipes.
Click on the titles highlighted in red to find the complete recipe.
Apple Cider Moscow Mule
A delicious fall twist on a Moscow Mule that celebrates autumn with some seasonal flavor, when youâre craving hayrides and cider!
Cranberry-Apple-Pumpkin Bundt Cake
The flavors of fall in a cake with a Maple Glaze and Sugared Pecans and Pepitas
Apple Brie & Honey Galette with Pomegranate
An easy and delicious recipe you can whip up using store-bought pie dough and just a few ingredients.
Apple, Gorgonzola & Thyme Pies
Sweet and savory apple hand pies
An Apple Picnic and Apple Walnut Spinach Salad
Harvest Waldorf Kale Salad with Maple VinaigretteÂ
A harvest of dark leafy greens, fresh seasonal produce and lean protein that makes an entrée salad with nutritious ingredients and satisfying flavors!
Double-Topped Apple Pie with Crumb Topping and Pie Crust Leaves
Butternut-Apple Soup with Cranberry-Cheddar-Pecan Pie Crust Leaves
 A sweet and savory soup for fall, serve with pie crust leaf sandwiches of cranberry, cheddar and pecans
Easy Caramel Apple Bars
An easy and crowd-pleasing recipe that starts with cookie mix. The hardest part is waiting for them to cool long enough to cut!
 Apple Cider Sangria
 An easy and refreshing cocktail for a crowd!
Cinnamon Swirl Apple Fritter BreadÂ
An easy and crowd-pleasing recipe!
Enjoy this quick bread any time of year with coffee for breakfast or with tea for an afternoon treat.
Apple Cider Caramel Sauce
Easy and oh so good! Use fresh-pressed cider for maximum apple flavor.
Details:
Hayrides Pillow, throw, apple bucket / HomeGoods, several years ago
Apple plate / Pfaltzgraff Plymouth, used here
Red transferware plate / Spode Archive Collection âBritish Flowers â Rosaâ, used here
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What are you favorite apple recipes?
Thank you for your visit! Sharing with:
 Between Naps on the Porch
Delightful post! Awesome photos and delightfully creative deserts. Cute dogs – they are adorable, lovely color too (bright white). Thank you â€ïž
Good Morning Mary! Great Blog read this morning. Yummy Fall Recipes to inspire me to get some Fall decorating/cooking happening. Temps here have been too warm for me too, hearing we are hitting 90 tomorrow. Yikes! Have a great day and thanks for the beautiful pics and great recipes!!
Oh my gosh Mary! Your post has me drooling! I want to make every single recipe. Thank you!
Mary, I love your posts, they are great! I am still in my flip flops, here in St. Louis. I am so ready for some beautiful fall weather. I wanted to let you know I have made the Easy Caramel Apple Bars several times. They are delicious. Thank you for all the beautiful pictures, tablescapes, decor ideas, pics of your darling pups, and recipes. Your blog is one of my very favorites and I always look forward to seeing a post from you. I appreciate you!
Lots of yummo ideas! I agree fall colored flip flops are the order of the day!
Did you share where you purchased that cute apple bucket? If you did I totally missed it. Maybe I need a cup of coffee! Thank you so much for all of your great ideas.
Good morning!
Iâm ready for Fall. Great photos and recipes.
And Lola and Sophie are sooooo cute!
Have a great Monday……
Good morning Mary, love the recipes and have made the Bundt cake…as soon as apple time hits, Iâm making my apple butter..have already made two batches … easy, delicious recipe…and I give as gifts…along with bread I make…Iâm hoping to add your Carmel sauce to my recipes!! Weather here is jackets in the morning…flip flops by noon!!! Unprecedented warm weather for our Fall too!! It will give us something warm to think about in January and February!! đđđ»đđđđ»đ
Good Morning Mary, Fantastic Post today. Temps here are also in the 90âs, much too warm for Fall and the air conditioner still running. I saved and made the bundt cake last year for Thanksgiving and it was a hit and am going to save the apple bars to make for my grandsons who are coming this weekend. Iâm sure they will love it. You certainly have two adorable little helpers.
Thank you . I have an abundance of butternut squash this fall and will definitely try your soup and also the pie crust cheese sandwitches. Would prefer to be cooking on a cooler autumn day but will just have to deal with what we have. It is what it is , as my mother used to say. Maybe I will serve the soup chilled with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt. Have a great Monday.
Good morning, Mary! I know just where to come for some apple inspiration! Thank you for rounding up some favorite recipes for us. Your apple pie is a show stopper!! We had record high temperatures this September, with only ONE day in the 80’s. I’m past ready for cooler temperatures!!
Have fun with the apples of your eyes! They’re the cutest ever!
That was great fun, I have been juggling apples for a month, still need to post another apple recipe we love, devoured it twice in one week. I need to try your mini apple pie with cheese, I have given away over 400 apples and still have about 100 left to pick, so sad when a recipe says one apple, I need to use them by the score! We have hit fall, thunder and lightning all weekend like I have never seen in my lifetime, high of 58 today, just hope fire season is behind us as I chop, mince, strain, bake, cook, cool, heat, eat and drink apples galore!
Have you ever made fried apples? Very old fashioned recipe and I love them. Slice and core the apples. Donât peel them and fry them in bacon dripping. Add a small amount of sugar so that they will caramelize.
Scrumptious recipes and such a pretty wreath. Your babies look so adorable, too.
I don’t know how I missed the caramel apple bars the first time, checked the 2014 date. Thanks for the recipes and for getting them to us early in the season.
Mary, what a delightful post dedicated to that perfect autumn fruit…apples. Even though it will reach 96 degrees today, I would love a bowl of butternut apple soup. I love your round-up of apple recipes, so many yummy looking photos. The girls are too cute!
We stay in the 90âs until Saturday. Hopefully then a break!
Yummm – I’m totally craving apples now – those all look delicious! Thanks for the great recipes! â€ïž
Johnny Appleseed would be proud of you and this delicious post! Loved the bundt cake and the Apple Carmel bars, time to do again. The girls are precious. â€đŸ Hope it cools down for you Mary. đđ
So much apple cuteness Mary! Of course the apples of your eye, Lola and Sophie, steal the show, but all your vignettes and mouth watering recipes have me wanting to get to the orchard! Lots of important info too, apples truly do keep the Dr away! We’re going to feel fall one of these days, surely!! đ
Jenna
Mary,
Just keep decorating and eventually Mother Nature will give you the gift of cooler fall temps! I feel guilty telling you it snowed in Tahoe this weekend.
The Bundt cake and Butternut Apple soup look absolutly delicious. I’m adding them into this week’s menu rotation. Thank you for providing new recipes so I can avoid the rut of eating the same thing week after week. It’s so nice to have a trusted source for recipes!
Betsy
Thank you so much for this post. I live in Houston where we basically never have a fall season. I grew up in Michigan and loved the apple season. So this post, especially the pictures and the harvest of apple recipes, sure made joy in my heart. Many Blessings.
A wonderful post Mary! So many delicious recipes. Your porch is gorgeously adorned with beautiful fall accessories. Lola & Sophie are little cutie pies who seem interested in apples too! We are suffering in West TN with record high temps & no rain. I think the entire South will be glad to get a break! Enjoyed all the info about apples. Had no idea how many apples are produced in NC. Stay cool sweet Mary!
My three children, all (well almost) grown & flown, & I love apples – simply sliced & eaten with plenty of peanut butter! I must have used my trusty pampered chef apple corer/slicer every day during their school age. My favorite is Honey Crisp! My middle daughter loves Gala, as well as the more textured “mushy” variety. I think I will enjoy a Honey Crisp sliced with peanut butter today. Apple season = lower priced honey crisps. Beautiful post Mary, your wreath is gorgeous!
Love the pictures of your babies on the potting shed porch! I can’t wait for cooler weather either. I’m planning some days off in mid October and it better cool down here in Kansas so I can sit out back reading and holding my cats! It needs to be cool so they will snuggle up to me! I am also looking forward to seeing what sweaters the girls are wearing this year- I bought the green one from Target with the Christmas lights on it last year after you posted your pictures. I hadn’t seen it in the store and ordered it right away when I saw how cute your dogs looked- I dress my cats up but have to buy dog clothes as there aren’t many options for cats.
Mary, I love your beautiful apple wreath…where did you find those “so real looking” apples? Thanks for all the info. about apples–we’ve been to Hendersonville, NC many times and know they have lots of orchards there…we always have to stop at one or two if we’re passing through on our way to Highlands. The food all sounds yummy, and the pups are always a delight to see. Happy fall!
Your lovely post with all its wonderful photos brings back lots of memories of fall celebrations we used to have at our apples orchard in New Hampshire. We probably won’t have any fall weather here in our part of Florida until the end of October. I’ve added several pins to my Pinterest boards, thank you for the inspiration.
Love the apple wreath, are the hydrogenous you used in the wreath, cut from the bush brown? some of mine are turning and I am wondering if I can use them is wreaths? or do I have to do something special to them?
Hi Nonie, You can use any kind of dried hydrangea in a wreath. You can find the details and tips here: https://homeiswheretheboatis.net/2019/09/23/happy-fall-diy-apple-spice-wreath/
Thank you so much. I am excited to make the wreath and remember to double check auto correct. I don’t even know what that word means!
Its still sweltering here, thanks for the hope of fall with cooler temps! Just starting to go through all my fun stuff in the garage, just glanced at my twin apple bucket, going to reorganize all my goodies, with my addled brain it will feel like shopping and all new toys, maybe forgetting isn’t such a bad thing after all! I may be losing my marbles, but I remember every single picture perfect post of your since day one đ