We’re getting closer to fall after this hot summer! Everything ripened fast with the hot summer months and there is an abundance of summer crops. They probably won’t be around too much longer, so make sure to get the berries and summer veggies while you can!
Many of the traditionally fall fruits ripened early this year due to the summer heat, so if you love the fall apples, grapes, and stone fruits, they are ripe now and may not be around for as long as usual. I know that there were some wineries harvesting grapes as early as July. That’s a very early start to harvest season! It’s a great reminder that every year is different, especially for farmers. Just as in life, flexibility is necessary to yield good results.
Apples are our family’s favorite fall fruit to enjoy. Luckily, we have so many great apple growers nearby to get the freshest ones from! We love visiting Jack Creek Farm on the 46 West for apple picking and the kids love playing in the fun kid’s zone. They have lots of fruits and veggies for u-picking and the most beautiful pumpkins closer to Halloween. If we have extra time for a drive, we head to SLO Creek Farm in Avila for apple picking. They also have a nice area for the kids to play and a beautiful flower garden to make your own bouquet!
We are always trying to eat healthier, and that interest kept growing after starting to raise our own food. It’s not easy to cut out ingredients that we can’t have or want to eliminate, so an easier way is just to make simple food. Pork chops are the tastiest and easiest meat to prepare. I’m proud that all the meat from our animals tastes great with very little added thanks to raising them well. We have a lot of great farmers and ranchers raising healthy animals for our community, so be sure to support them to ensure your meat is coming from animals raised here!
Olive oil caramel is a favorite in our house especially this time of year. The peanut butter or pecan praline flavored olive oils from the groves on 41 are amazing when making the caramel sauce! It goes great with almost everything, but we love making caramel apple nachos with it. It’s a healthy source of fat without the refined sugar that is easy to say yes to when the kids need a treat.
Fruits:
Apples
Grapes
Nectarines
Pomegranates
Raspberries
Vegetables:
Beans
Beets
Bell Peppers
Corn
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Peas
Peppers
Potatoes
Pumpkins
Summer Squash
Tomatoes
Balsamic Pork Chops with Sweet Potatoes and Apples (Paleo Running Momma)
Ingredients
4 bone-in pork chops
Salt and pepper
Italian seasoning blend
2 Tbsp ghee (sub olive oil or butter)
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
Fresh rosemary if desired
1 med sweet potato cut into 3/4” pieces
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil (or coconut oil) for roasting
Salt and pepper
1 large apple cut into 1” pieces (Honeycrisp)
1 small red onion sliced
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees and heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat, add the ghee or olive oil to melt.
Pork Chops:
Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper and Italian seasoning on both sides.
Once skillet and ghee are sizzling, add pork chops and sear until toast brown on the first side (about 3-4 mins) then flip and repeat for second side. (They should be nearly cooked through at this point, adjust timing for thickness)
Remove to a large plate and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Lower heat to medium/low and add balsamic and honey. Whisk together. Raise heat to med and cook for 5 mins, until mixture is reduced and beginning to turn syrupy.
Return pork chops to skillet and cook another 2-3 mins, flipping once to coat them in balsamic. Sprinkle with rosemary if using. Serve with sweet potato apple mixture, drizzling extra glaze over the top.
Sweet Potato/Apple Mix:
Toss sweet potatoes with oil and arrange sweet potatoes on a large (nonstick) baking sheet sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 25 mins, then stir/flip and add the apples and onions.
Continue to roast another 15 mins or until apples and onions are soft and sweet potatoes are toasty. Serve with pork chops, with extra balsamic glaze if desired. Enjoy!
Olive Oil Caramel
Ingredients:
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil (Peanut Butter or Pecan Praline flavor from Groves on 41 are delicious!)
⅓ cup pure maple syrup
1 pinch high quality sea salt optional but recommended
Instructions:
Mix the caramel sauce. In a small mixing bowl, add equal parts olive oil & maple syrup along with a pinch of sea salt.
Emulsify the caramel. Whisk with a small whisk or fork vigorously for about 2-3 minutes until the caramel sauce is emulsified. It should thicken up & turn a golden hue, but it will not take on the texture of traditional caramel sauce. The thickness should be somewhat silkier than honey.
Enjoy! Pour over ice cream, dip apples into it, serve with pancakes, or add into a hot drink!
