WASHINGTON 鈥� If an apple a day can keep the doctor away, what can a copper kettle filled with the fall fruit accomplish?
Apple butter 鈥� lots and lots of apple butter.
Seventy-five miles outside the nation鈥檚 capital is the region鈥檚 apple capital. And with the season in full-swing, now is the time to celebrate all things apple.
During September, October and November, Shenandoah National Park is shining the spotlight on the darling fruit of fall, starting with the at Skyland Resort on Saturday, Sept. 19.
Large copper kettles will be fired up and filled with apples from nearby for a day of apple boiling and apple-butter making. And yes, there will be an opportunity to sample the spread and even take a jar聽for the road.
Throughout the daylong festival, there will be live music, crafts, pony rides and apple-focused food, such as cider barbecue and fresh apple fritters. Cider makers Shannon and Sarah Showalter also will be on-hand to pour their artisanal , made from 100 percent apple juice.
Virginia鈥檚 peak apple season extends through mid-October, and orchard owner Sarah Showalter says the event is the perfect way to ring in the season.
鈥淲hen you think about fall, you think about leaves changing and the beauty of trees, and you think about apples and harvest,鈥� she says.
And for Skyland Resort Sous Chef Heather Cash, there鈥檚 nothing more beautiful than homemade apple butter.
鈥淎nyone who hasn鈥檛 had apple butter, I feel sorry for them. Truly, I do. It鈥檚 delicious,鈥� she says.
If you can鈥檛 make it out to Shenandoah National Park this weekend, there are plenty of other apple happenings coming up. The resort鈥檚 chefs will conduct a on Sept. 22, showcasing some of their favorite recipes that use Virginia apples and hard cider.
If you prefer to drink your hard cider, Skyland will Sept. 16, 23 and 30, as well as on Nov. 4 and 11. Or, combine both at Skyland Resort鈥檚 on Sept. 25 and Nov. 14, and savor fall鈥檚 flavors in dishes such as short rib ragout, venison tenderloin, red snapper escabeche and apple-cranberry crisp.
In the mood to pick your own? There are a number of orchards within a few hours of D.C.
Use the map below as your orchard guide,聽and let the gallery to the right guide you in the kitchen when you arrive home with a bushel full of apples.
