Sacramento Digs Gardening: Use more than one kind of apple in this dessert

Bowl of red and green apples — In this bowl are McIntosh, Rome, Granny Smith and Baby Royal Gala apples. (Photos: Debbie Arrington)

So many varieties; what do you do?

It's apple season with literally dozens of different kinds of apples available at farmers markets, apple farms and our own backyards.

It can create a little challenge in the kitchen. Different apples cook at different rates. Some get soft in a hurry; others hold their firm crunch.

Most recipes call for using the same variety of apple throughout; that way, they'll cook more evenly.

But this recipe allows you to mix and match what apples you have on hand. The result: The filling has some chunks that are a little firmer than others, adding some texture.

Use all one kind or two or more. (For this recipe, I used a large McIntosh, two Romes, two Baby Royal Galas and a Granny Smith.)

Another plus: This crumble uses less sugar than many apple desserts, allowing the true apple flavor to shine, too.

Apple chunks — The filling cooks before the crumble is assembled and baked

Mix and match apple crumble
Makes 5 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

1-1/2 pounds apples (about 6 to 8, depending on size and variety)
1/2 cup sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Butter for baking dish

For topping:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup quick rolled oats
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, chilled
Cinnamon
Whipped cream (optional)
1 small apple (optional garnish)

Instructions:
Peel, core and chop apples into 1/2-inch pieces. (A mixture of apple varieties can be used for this recipe.) In a heavy pot, combine 1/2 cup sugar, lemon juice and water. Stir to combine. Add apple chunks.

Bring mixture to boil, reduce heat and cover. Let apples simmer until chunks are fork-tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in cinnamon. (Note: Some chunks will get softer than others, depending on variety.)

Apple crumble in baking dish — The apple crumble is baked and ready to serve.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 2-quart casserole dish; set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar and rolled oats. Cut butter or margarine into cubes; add to dry ingredients. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut butter into flour mixture until crumbly.

Put apple filling into prepared casserole dish. Spoon crumble topping over apple mixture until top is covered. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Bake at 400 degrees F. until top is golden and filling is bubbly, about 35 to 40 minutes.

Cool on a rack. Serve warm, topped with whipped cream and apple garnish if desired.

RECIPE

A recipe for preparing delicious meals from the bounty of the garden.

Keywords:

apples recipe recipes gardening Sacramento farmers markets fall backyard produce fall baking seasonal cooking orchard fruit

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Food in My Back Yard Series

June 10: Battling early-season tomato pests

June 3: Make your own compost

May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?

May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days

May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can

May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success

April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?

April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)

April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers

April 8: When to plant summer vegetables

April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths

March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth

March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space

March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds

March 4: Potatoes from the garden

Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later

Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space

Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants

Feb. 4: Starting in seed starting

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Garden Checklist for week of June 8

Get out early to enjoy those nice mornings. There’s plenty to keep gardeners busy:

* Warm weather brings rapid growth in the vegetable garden, with tomatoes and squash enjoying the heat. Deep-water, then feed with a balanced fertilizer. Bone meal or rock phosphate can spur the bloom cycle and help set fruit.

* Generally, tomatoes need deep watering two to three times a week, but don’t let them dry out completely. Inconsistent soil moisture can encourage blossom-end rot.

* It’s not too late to transplant tomatoes, peppers or eggplant.

* From seed, plant corn, melons, pumpkins, radishes, squash and sunflowers.

* Plant basil to go with your tomatoes.

* Transplant summer annuals such as petunias, marigolds and zinnias.

* It’s also a good time to transplant perennial flowers including astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia, salvia and verbena.

* Feed camellias, azaleas and other acid-loving plants. Mulch to conserve moisture and reduce heat stress.

* Cut back Shasta daisies after flowering to encourage a second bloom in the fall.

* Trim off dead flowers from rose bushes to keep them blooming through the summer. Roses also benefit from deep watering and feeding now. A top dressing of aged compost will keep them happy. It feeds as well as keeps roots moist.

* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushier plants with many more flowers in September.

* Tie up vines and stake tall plants such as gladiolus and lilies. That gives their heavy flowers some support.

* Dig and divide crowded bulbs after the tops have died down.

* Feed summer flowers with a slow-release fertilizer.

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Taste Fall! E-cookbook

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Taste Winter! E-cookbook

Find our winter recipes here!