It is Apple Festival weekend with a street fair, air show, classic car shows and lots more. There is so much to do all over town as downtown is closed to traffic, and all the area orchards are open with activities and apples for sale. Local groups do pancake breakfasts and other activities to raise money for charity. The main stage has the apple cooking contest on Friday morning, and then different bands playing all through the weekend.

If you are interested in more on the annual festival, click on Apple Festival to see my posts from previous years covering various aspects of the weekend including the festival itself, the orchards and the parade. The best part is the wide variety of apples you can sample, along with the treats.

You can buy apple products like jelly, apple butter, and every kind baked treat you can imagine from cakes and pies to pastries, fried pies, donuts and apple cinnamon sticks. There are caramel apples to eat while walking around, apple cider and apple slushies to drink, and fun treats like apple ice cream.

Most of the area apple farmers have booths, but their orchards are also open for buying apples, and you can pick your own too. They are beautiful, with apples heavy in the trees and the mountains in the distance.

It is always hot this weekend, never fails. But the King Apple Parade on Labor Day is too fun to miss. Old cars and vintage tractors, high school bands, and floats made by local organizations parade by, along with fire trucks from every municipality in the county all running their sirens at once. It is small town living at its best. I was surprised to learn on the news this week that our Apple Festival is #6 in the Top Ten Nationwide Labor Day Festivals according to Mixbook.

Apples make a great transition from summer into fall. It is still too hot to put out pumpkins and fall leaves, yet I want summer to be over. I hate hot weather, and really look forward to fall’s cooler days and crisp mornings. So I put away the summer stuff and got out my apples for a new tablescape. This year, I only used what I already had, trying to find a new way to combine elements into something fresh.

Most years, I have used red chargers, but this year I decided to take the cue from the green apples in the plates and use the green ones. I have two sets of these dishes, four to a set, with all different motifs. I pulled the ones with the cut apples and little birds for the table this time.

Here is the other plate motif. There are two of each on the table.

Apple green napkins are held with apple motif ceramic napkin rings. My small apple ramekins are added, perhaps for a Creme Brulee dessert. Everyday flatware is placed at each setting.

On the other side, crystal water glasses are added with small crystal liqueur glasses for an after dinner aperitif. Of course, the individual salt and pepper shakers are put at each setting.

In the center, my red ceramic basket is filled with artificial apples for now. I plan to replace those with real ones soon. There are cut apple salt and pepper shakers placed on each end, and red candles surrounding the basket. All are sitting on an apple print table topper that is just serged around the edge.

We will enjoy this table through much of September, waiting for the weather to turn just a bit cooler before pulling out the autumn finery.

Labor Day weekend means cooking out too. Over the weekend, we made hamburgers, cooked on the grill and using the Flavor Jolt mix. I add 1/2-cup Panko bread crumbs and an egg to one pound of 93% lean ground beef so the patties hold together on the grill. I added one tablespoon of Flavor Jolt. Mix well with your hands.

Divide the mixture into four portions. Shape into wide patties that are not too thick, so they cook through evenly. About 10 minutes on a hot grill and we have dinner.

So I made my burger, resting the hot patty on a bed of grated cheese on an onion bun, with lettuce and fresh tomatoes from the garden. I took a bite as it smelled so good, then remembered I should take a photo of the burger on the apple plate for this post, LOL! The seasoning blend is really subtle, but the burgers did taste good. Next time, I’ll add a bit more to the mix along with some worchestershire and maybe a bit more salt. There isn’t much salt in the Flavor Jolt.

An apple dessert would be great for the holiday cookout. If you are in the mood to cook with apples now, here are some of my original apple recipes. First up, my award winning Apple Upside Down Cake from the Mountain State Fair competition in 2022.

Try my  Shrimp, Sweet Apple and Bacon Salad Wraps , using spinach tortillas and Honey Crisp Apples. It won second place at the fair in 2019.

My other award winning apple recipe is the Spiced Apple Galette with Salted Caramel Sauce. It took first place at the fair in 2021.

I also have more apple recipes that were not award winners, but nonetheless delicious. Try my Apple Cake Donuts. This year I need to get a photo of them on an apple plate. My Sweet Babboo really likes these for breakfast.

The Caramel Apple Coffee Cake is a recipe I make often in the fall. It is another favorite of My Sweet Babboo.

What are your plans for this holiday weekend? Do you have a favorite apple recipe?

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