On the cusp of October, I wanted to share an excerpt from the autumn chapter in The Art of Picnics. This golden and bountiful time of year is marked in our family traditions by apple picking. We forage for wild ones along the roadside and take a drive to a backwoods orchard in the North East Kingdom, trying not to get lost along the way on the winding dirt roads. It has been a seasonal family tradition for as long as I can remember. With such a long shelf life, apples can be stored for months in a cool dark place. Bushels are kept in the barn throughout the entire winter. To celebrate this wonderful season, I want to share a treasured family recipe that is always a treat to make at this time of year. Following the excerpt, you’ll find my mother’s apple turnovers recipe. Enjoy and happy picking!

Alanna O'Neil Author Photographer Maui Vermont

A Day in the Orchard

In late September, when the trees become illuminated in gold and crimson hues and the air is as crisp as the leaves, apple season has officially arrived Vermont. Buckets and crates are dusted off from the barn and lined up on the porch, empty and ready for our annual venture out to our favorite orchard. We have a few apple trees on our farm, but by no means do they compare to the bounty found at our local orchard just a few miles away. When the autumn leaves begin to slowly fall, instinctively my mother like a black bear getting ready for winter, is eager to fill our freezer and food stores for the long winter ahead. When I questioned the overflowing buckets and crates out on the porch, she reminded me that there is nothing more comforting than an apple pie in the dead of winter. Come January, she was right as usual.

Alanna O'Neil Photographer Author Hawaii Vermont

Apple picking has been a family tradition ever since I can remember. Even the littlest among us would have the special duty to carry a small bucket down the rows. Spending a full day in the orchard does work up an appetite despite sampling an apple from every tree. We would pack a big basket with sandwiches to share, apple turnovers, and cider spread out on a wooly blanket, but the real treat was found at the orchard. Tucking into a bag of apple cider donuts. was always something I looked forward to. Fresh out of the fryer, still warm and moist that filled the air with spices and hot cider. We would spend the whole day in the orchard, with enough apples in our buckets as in our bellies.

Last year, I flew back in autumn since I hadn’t had a proper fall since I moved to Maui and I craved it desperately. I made a long list of all of the quintessential fall activities I could think of, tourists be damned. My family anxious and excited for my return, planned out a day to visit a new found orchard off the beaten track. Through nearly two hours of winding and narrow dirt backroads, we finally found it tucked away with just a plain and faded painted sign that you could easily drive past.

The old farmer came out of the wood cabin, muttering with a Vermont accent as thick as the woods behind us, motioned to the carts nearby. My mother who always has a spring in her step doing these sorts of things, hauled a cart away along the path. To what was initially a backwoods and rustic appearance, eventually revealed an orchard unlike neither of us had seen before. The trees were loaded with fruit, with branches barely able to withstand the weight, dripped to the ground. We kept exclaiming we’ve never seen anything like it as we filled our carts to the brim. The trees formed archways down the rows with apples tantalizingly hanging from above like burgundy, violet, and gold ornaments. As we left, we eyed the fresh cider donuts from the back kitchen and the farmer bagged up a dozen up for us. Plus, one more for good measure.

Alanna O'Neil photographer Author Maui Hawaii Vermont

Mom’s Apple Turnovers

Ever since I can remember my mother made these apple turnovers come fall and winter. I think she did partly because she felt that she could stick to eating just one rather than slicing little pieces of pie away throughout the day only for half of it to be gone. I love them because they are like individual presents all wrapped up in warm cinnamon, apples, and buttery pastry. It’s also a wonderful way to use up any odd, spotty, or partially bruised apples you may have picked.

Makes 8-10 turnovers

For the dough:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter shredded by a cheese grater

6 tablespoons lard

4-5 tablespoons ice water

For the filling:

4-5 apples such as Cortland, granny smith, or Braeburn

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or cornstarch

1 cup half & half

turbinado or maple sugar

Preparation tip: Prepare the pastry a day or two in advance, storing well wrapped in the fridge in plastic wrap. Bake them up the night before or morning of your apple excursion.

In a food processor, briefly pulse the flour, sugar, salt, butter, and lard until it resembles small coarse bread crumbs. Be sure not to over mix, make sure it still is very crumbly with bits of butter scattered throughout. Start by adding the ice water and gently pulse it as it combines together. It should hold together but still be rough and crumbly. If it’s too sticky, add touch of flour. If it’s too dry, add a tiny bit of ice water.

You can also make the dough by hand by combining the flour, sugar, and salt into a medium sized mixing bowl. Using a dough blender, cut in the butter and lard until it’s in pea sized pieces. Gradually add the ice water to bring to dough together into a rough ball.

Turn out the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Gently combine all the dough together to form a large ball. Place the dough ball back into the mixing bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight. The dough will keep in the fridge for several days.

Meanwhile, peel and core the apples. Cut into halves and then quarters for 1” pieces or slices.

In a small bowl, combine the apples, lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, salt, and flour or cornstarch. Coat the apples evenly and set aside.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°.

Once the dough is chilled, place the dough on the lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to form a large rectangle. It should be about 1/4” thick. Lightly dust the dough and rolling pin with flour as needed if it begins to get sticky.

Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut about 5” squares out of the dough. The bigger the square, the bigger the turnover. Cut out as many as you can and then reshape and roll out again to continue to use up the remaining dough.

Once you have a square, spoon a tablespoon or two of the apple mixture into one of the corners of the square. Gently fold over the other side to meet the apple filled corner to form a rough triangle. Tuck in any little bits of apple if needed.

To seal, gently pinch the edges closed by using the pronged edge of a fork around the open edges.

Brush the tops with half & half and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the juices begin to slightly ooze out and golden brown.

Serve warm or cold and reheat at 350°F for 10 minutes if necessary before your apple outing!