Apples are so much better when you pick them yourself. For real. Nathan and I visited Eddy Fruit Farm a couple weekends ago to pick apples and grapes, and it was a perfect fall activity. The weather was GORGEOUS, we picked about 25 apples and 324 pounds of grapes, and we got a 45-pound pumpkin to carve. Go big or go home, we say!

Back at home, we made a completely apple-inspired meal: apple and turkey paninis, roasted cinnamon apples and carrots, and apple crisp. I'm not a huge fan of apple crisp (or any cooked fruit for that matter--I'm a texture person), but this was delish. Here's the recipe in case you're interested:

Old Fashioned Apple Crisp (from foodnetwork.com)

Ingredients

5 pounds McIntosh or Macoun apples (we used Jonathan) Grated zest of 1 orange Grated zest of 1 lemon 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the topping

1 1/2 cups flour 3/4 cup granulated sugar 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 cup oatmeal 1/2 pound cold unsalted butter, diced

Directions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 14 by 2-inch oval baking dish.

Peel, core, and cut the apples into large wedges. Combine the apples with the zests, juices, sugar, and spices. Pour into the dish.

To make the topping, combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and cold butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is the size of peas. Scatter evenly over the apples.

Place the crisp on a sheet pan and bake for 1 hour until the top is brown and the apples are bubbly. Serve warm.

(And here is my original 101 in 1001 list, in case you're interested.)

The finished product! :)