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My search this year for some extra-special ingredients for the Manor’s Thanksgiving Day festivities brought me to Apple Hill Farm, where I scored some really nice heirloom apples. Indeed, as the images below attest, I got a little carried away, snatching up about a bushel of pear-like Hudsons Golden Gems, giant Crispins, tiny Pommes Grisses, tart Pink Ladies, asymmetric Calville Blancs, storied Esopus Spitzenburg and, I think, a few others.

Some Heirloom Apples from Apple Hill Orchard, Concord, NH

I don’t often make it to Apple Hill, as it is pretty far from the Manor, but when I do I’m always pleased to have made the trip.  This time was no exception, and I caught a break, as it was the farm-stand’s last day in operation before closing for Winter.  Anyone planning a northward-heading road trip for next summer or fall, perhaps to stay with us at The Manor on Golden Pond, would be well advised to stop there for a pit-stop.  It’s just off I-93′s Exit 17, and is open daily (sometimes just as a self-serve farmstand, at other times as a full-scale bakery/retail/pick-your-own destination).

Having gotten a little carried away in their procurement, these beautful apples enhanced most of our Thanksgiving day dishes.  I put them to use in a dressed-up version of Waldorf Salad, threw some into the stuffing, grated some into the braised cabbage, made apple pie, of course, and also used them for our Cranberry Relish (recipe follows).  I admit more than a few were also used for “tasting” purposes — when produce is this good, it’s more addictive than candy.

Cranberry Relish

  • 1 lb. fresh cranberries
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/4 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and diced @ 1/4″
  • 2 ea. honeycrisp or other firm-fleshed apples, peeled, cored and diced @ 1/8″
  • juice & zest of 1/2 lemon
  • juice & zest of 1/2 orange
  • pinch kosher salt
  • 3 thin slices fresh ginger
  1. Process the cranberries in a food processor.  Use brief pulses to achieve a uniform but fairly coarse texture.
  2. Transfer the chopped berries to a non-reactive bowl (plastic, glass or stainless steel).
  3. Add all remaining ingredients and stir together.
  4. Preferably, refrigerate, tightly covered, overnight to allow the flavors to meld.  Removed the sliced ginger before serving.
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