Apple Recipe Roundup

We're nearing apple picking season here in VA — this time last year we were planning a trip to Showalter's Orchard in the mountains of Virginia where we picked and brought home 2 bushels of apples.

Find the full post detailing our orchard trip with many more photos here.

While we think about either heading back up to Showalter's for another round of picking or choose a different destination, we wanted to share some of our favorite apple recipes for those beginning to get apples in their local markets already:

1. Homemade Apple & Raspberry Fruit Leather: 
We've found over the past year just how easy homemade fruit leather can be to make, not to mention healthy and a great way to use up almost over-ripening fruit! The following recipe was the first of many we've tried and was definitely kid approved:

Find the full recipe with more step by step instructions here.

Related: Raspberry Peach Fruit Leather Recipe.

2. Homemade Apple Dog Treats:
We learned how to make homemade dog treats using apples from last year's orchard trip. This was an awesome way to use up the apples we had on hand and feel great knowing exactly what was going into Basil's treats:

Find the full recipe with more step by step instructions here.  

Related: Carrot & Banana Dog Treats, Homemade Frosty Paws, Dehydrated Sweet Potato Dog Chews.

3. Homemade Apple Vinegar:
Did you know you can made your own homemade apple vinegar with the scraps of apples? Believe me when I say this is so simple and so awesome — it just takes a little patience and know-how: 

Find the full recipe with more step by step instruction here.

Are you also looking forward to apple season or already getting apples in where you are? Have any favorite recipes using apples you'd like to share — we're always looking for new things to try?

P.S. Mary here: Tim is actually a great juggler — a skill he's also passed down to his son, Brandon. Get a peek at their juggling action back from our trip to the orchard in this video.