Dear Customers,
October means many things to the residents of the great northwestern corner of Pennsylvania. The nights are chilly while the days are still temperate. The hills are alive with colors ranging from green to yellow to brilliant reds and oranges. It’s candy for the soul! But sadly, nighttime comes earlier and stays longer as the Northern Hemisphere readies itself for its long sleep.
But that certainly doesn’t mean October is just going to slip away into that good night without making a colorful splash. Apples and pumpkins are everywhere! More and more local farmers seemingly have begun growing pumpkins – the kind you eat and the kind that you just carve up for display. They’re along roadside stands and clustered in huge fields. As the vines wither away, the bright orange steps to the forefront.
In the grocery industry, October is also known as “Apple Month”. It coincides with the harvest and the huge field totes of apples that begin appearing in our produce department. It was originally conceived in 1904 as National Apple Week but was later expanded to include the entire month. You’ll see all kinds of apples, and apple-centric products gracing our aisles and the pages of our weekly ad the entire month.
Apples also hold the top spot for total fruit consumed in this country with each person averaging more than 12.6lbs of apples and their by-products per year. If you, like me, don’t feel you consume even close to that amount, then rest assured there is someone out there who is eating his share and yours too.
And now, with access to the internet there are literally thousands of apple recipes available to try, some very unique and different. The following recipe, available right on our web page is simply called “Apple Fritters”. It isn’t anything like the delicious pastries of the same name that you’ll find in our donut case, but it’s a rather simple and delicious alternatives taking very few ingredients and very little time.
APPLE FRITTERS
| 4 cups all purpose flour | 3 cups milk |
| ¼ teaspoon salt | 6 apples |
| 8 cups oil for deep frying | Granulated sugar |
Blend the flour, milk and salt to make a smooth batter. Peel, core and sliced the apples into 1/4 inch slices. Dip the apple slices into the batter and deep-fry at 375°F for 2 to 3 minutes or until lightly browned on both sides. Sprinkle with sugar or even sugar and cinnamon while still hot and serve immediately!