Articles & Resources

Fall Harvest Recipes
By Priscilla Woyke, Director of Early Childhood Development and the Beginner's Nature Program Staff

Pumpkin muffins
2 cups pumpkin
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cloves
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together flour, sugar, baking soda and all dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat together pumpkin, oil and eggs. Stir into flour mixture and put in muffin pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Apple Tart
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Serving: 1 10" tart

Pastry dough
6 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, halved and sliced 1/8 inch thick
¼ cup sugar
½ stick cold butter, sliced thin
½ cup apricot jam, heated and strained

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
On a slightly floured surface, roll out dough in a 13" round. Fit it into a 10" tart tin; trim excess. Arrange the apples decoratively on the pastry, overlapping them. Sprinkle the sugar on top of the apples, top the slices with butter. Bake in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes or until crust is cooked through and apples are golden. Brush with heated apricot jam while tart is still hot.

Egg free Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies
2 cups white sugar
1 cup shortening
1 (15 ounce) can of pumpkin puree
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream the sugar, shortening, pumpkin and vanilla together. Mix until light and well combined. Mix the flour, baking soda and cinnamon. Stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture. Mix until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoon onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until set. Let cool on a rack.

Pumpkin Bread
4 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups canned pumpkin
2/3 cup water
2 ½ cups flour plus 1 Tbsp.
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 cups sugar
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 cup walnuts

Beat eggs; add oil, pumpkin, and water. Mix together dry ingredients. Add to egg mixture. Add walnuts. Pour into 2 loaf pans and bake 350 degrees for 1 ¼ hours.

Applesauce Muffins (milk-free, egg-free, peanut-free, soy-free, nut-free)
1 ¼ cups applesauce
2 Tbsp. oil
¼ cup honey
¼ cup sugar
1 packet Knox unflavored gelatin
2 Tbsp. warm water
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin tin with paper liners. In a large bowl, beat together the applesauce, oil, honey, and sugar. Soften gelatin in 2 Tbsp. warm water (do not mix gelatin with water until you are ready to use or it will congeal). Add to applesauce mixture. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add to applesauce mixture. Stir just enough to moisten dry ingredients. Pour into muffin cups and bake 20 minutes.

Suggestion: Top with ¼ tsp. cinnamon and ¼ cup sugar, mixed together. Or add ¾ cup chopped raisins.

Apple Butter
4 pounds of tart apples (about 10)
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
½ cup tsp. allspice
2 cups natural cider
¼ cup light brown sugar
½ tsp. cloves

Peel and core apples. Cut into eights. In a large heavy pot heat apples and cider to boiling. Simmer 20 minutes. Stir other ingredients into apples and cook uncovered over low heat for 1 ½ - 2 hours until desired consistency, stirring frequently. Put through a food mill to make smooth. Pour into sterilized jars, leaving ½ " head space. Seal with paraffin.

Apple Crisp
6 tart apples, peeled, cored and thickly sliced
2 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. white sugar
¼ tsp. cinnamon
1 cup flour
¼ cup light or dark brown sugar
½ cup butter
Heavy cream, whipped or plain

Put the slices of apple in a buttered 8 x 12 inch pan. Sprinkle on the water. Mix the granulated sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle this on next. Now combine the flour, brown sugar and butter, using your choice of a fork, your fingertips or a food processor. Pat this topping over the apples, pressing it down well. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until the apples are soft. Serve with cream, whipped or not. Serves 6.