An Apple a Day...

Now, for my new favorite thing about fall- Honeycrisp apples. Perhaps you have seen Honeycrisp apples in your grocery store and wondered if they were really worth the high price tag- they definitely are. Honeycrisp apples are characterized by an exceptionally crisp and juicy texture. Their flesh is cream colored and course. I find that their taste is somewhere between a Granny Smith and a Red Delicious. True to their name, these apples are always firm and crisp. 

Honeycrisp apples come from a 1960 cross of Macoun and Honeygold, as part of the University of Minnesota apple breeding program to develop winter hardy cultivars with high fruit quality (all very technical stuff). The original seedling was planted way back in 1962 at the University of Minnesota Horticultural Research Center, located near Excelsior in east central Minnesota.
If you are looking to grow your own Honeycrisp apple trees from your leftover apple cores- think again. For the sake of commercial production, Honeycrisp apple trees are not self-fruitful, meaning that trees grown from the seeds of Honeycrisp apples will not produce apples at all. Bummer, right?


To celebrate my love of Honeycrisp apples, I want to share this awesome Apple Glazed Pork Roast recipe with you. Pork and apples are a natural combination. This simple crock-pot meal cooks all day while you are away- it’s the best kind of meal.

Apple Glazed Pork Roast

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 12 hours

Servings: 8-10

Ingredients:

4 lb. pork loin roast

Salt and pepper

6 apples, cored and quartered

1/3 cup apple juice

3 Tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp ground ginger

Preparation:

Trim the roast well, and then rub it with salt and pepper. Brown the pork roast under the broiler to remove all of the excess fat; drain well.

Place the apple quarters in the bottom of a 4-6 quart crock-pot. Then, place the roast on top of the apples. Combine the apple juice, brown sugar, and ginger. Spoon this mixture over the top surface of the roast. Cover the slow cooker and cook on Low 10-12 hours, until the roast is done. Slice it up to serve and enjoy.

If you have a newer, hotter cooking crock-pot, cook on low for 7-8 hours or until the roast registers 155 degrees F.