Well, here it is . . . Apple Drop Time again. Early every morning you will find the young sisters out in the orchard gathering up all the apples that have dropped from the trees since the morning before. The point is to get to them before the mowers or any of the live little outdoor creatures do. We want to be good stewards and make use of every bit of fruit, regardless of how perfect or imperfect it may be.

Warm, spicy apple butter can camouflage lots of imperfections and is so wonderful on hot, buttered toast at breakfast. Apples and pork just naturally seem to compliment each other. A slowly simmered sauce adds so much home-cooked goodness to a succulent pork roast. A simple plain grilled pork chop can be elevated from ordinary “comfort food” to a first-class entrée, by dressing it up with a few apple and onion slices that have been caramelized in a little butter and brown sugar. Right now while the gardens are producing an overabundance of fresh, crispy heads of cabbage – and it’s so tender and sweet – we are enjoying it shredded into slaw. I like to add a little grated apple to give it a tangy touch. We never seem to have any trouble using up our daily collection of these hardy little drops. However, when more than just a few accumulate on the kitchen counter, we know it’s time for something we just never get enough of: good old-fashioned Apple Crisp. So easy to make – so scrumptious to eat.