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Use more than one kind of apple in this dessert

Recipe: Put several varieties together for mix and match apple crumble

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.

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Find our summer recipes here!

Garden checklist for week of July 5

Mornings may seem almost cold with temperatures in the 60s before 10 a.m. Wear layers – and give your garden some TLC.

* It’s not too late to add a splash of color. Plant petunias, snapdragons, zinnias and marigolds.

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

* Keep your vegetable garden watered, mulched and weeded. Water before 8 a.m. to reduce the chance of fungal infection and to conserve moisture.

* Water, then fertilize vegetables and blooming annuals, perennials and shrubs to give them a boost. Feeding flowering plants every other week will extend their bloom.

* Don’t let tomatoes wilt or dry out completely. Give tomatoes a deep watering two to three times a week. Harvest vegetables promptly to encourage plants to produce more. Squash especially tends to grow rapidly in hot weather. Keep an eye on zucchini.

* If your melons and squash aren’t setting fruit, give the bees a hand. With a small, soft paintbrush, gather some pollen from male flowers, then brush it inside the female flowers, which have a tiny swelling at the base of their petals. (That's the embryo melon or squash.) Within days, that little swelling should start growing.

* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushy plants and more flowers in September.

* Remove spent flowers from roses, daylilies and other bloomers as they finish flowering.

* Pinch off blooms from basil so the plant will grow more leaves.

* Cut back lavender after flowering to promote a second bloom.

* Feed vegetable plants bone meal or other fertilizers high in phosphate to stimulate more blooms and fruiting.

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Taste Winter! E-cookbook

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Food in My Back Yard (FIMBY) Series

Lessons learned during a year of edible gardening

WINTER

Is edible gardening possible indoors?

Hints for choosing tomato seeds

Starting in seed starting

Why winter is the perfect time to plant fruit trees

When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants

How to squeeze more food into less space

Potatoes from the garden

Plant a fruit tree now -- for later

Win the weed war by tackling them in winter

Tips for planting bare-root trees, shrubs and vegetables

Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space

Ways to win the fight against weeds

FALL

Dec. 16: Add asparagus to your edible garden

Dec. 9: Soggy soil and what to do about it

Dec. 2: Plant artichokes now; enjoy for years to come

Nov. 25: It's late November, and your peach tree needs spraying

Nov. 18: What to do with all those fallen leaves?

Nov. 11: Prepare now for colder weather in the edible garden

Nov. 4: Plant a pea patch for you and your garden

Oct. 27: As citrus season begins, advice for backyard growers

Oct. 20: Change is in the autumn air 

Oct. 13: We don't talk (enough) about beets

Oct. 6: Fava beans do double duty

Sept. 30: Seeds or transplants for cool-season veggies?

Sept. 23: How to prolong the fall tomato harvest 

SUMMER

Sept. 16: Time to shut it down? 

Sept. 9: How to get the most out of your pumpkin patch

Sept. 2: Summer-to-fall transition time for evaluation, planning

Aug. 26: To pick or not to pick those tomatoes?

Aug. 19: Put worms to work for you

Aug. 12: Grow food while saving water

Aug. 5: Enhance your food with edible flowers

July 29: Why won't my tomatoes turn red?

July 22: A squash plant has mosaic virus, and it's not pretty

July 15: Does this plant need water?

July 8: Tear out that sad plant or baby it? Midsummer decisions

July 1: How to grow summer salad greens

June 24:  Weird stuff that's perfectly normal

SPRING

June 17: Help pollinators help your garden

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