sip of the season: bauman's apple cider

( also published here, at news, not blues. head over there to enter yourself in a drawing for a FREE gallon of the best pressed cider around! )

It's that tantalizing time of year again—where wooden crates are crowded with an overflow of just-picked scarlet, yellow, and green apples, stacked snugly into pick-up trucks and shipping cars from as far as Maryland, and soon, packed into Bauman's Apple Butter factory, of Sassamansville, where their cider mill produces the freshest pressed cider.

From September to December, their presses are plopped with the fruit's brilliant spectrum of fall colors, producing the rich, golden drink around the clock, Monday through Friday, including evenings, and on Saturday mornings, too.

The local, yet nationally-known, family-business first premiered over a century ago, in 1892 by John W. Bauman, who first purchased a cider press and appropriately operated it with a steam engine that was nestled inside his carriage manufacturing shop. Quickly, the apple-intensive side project replaced Bauman's carriage cobbling, as it continued to be mastered throughout the family line—now owned and operated by his grandson, Harvey and his wife, Kathy.

 

With the capabilities to press over a thousand gallons of cider a day, the Bauman family takes advantage of their production space and, as their name assumes, additionally produces a wide array of apple and fruit butters in beautifully intoxicating quantities.

Notorious for their low-fat, health-conscious jarred creations of naturally rich-and-sweet spreads, the entire process begins through their flash pasteurized apple pressing, with the tastes of the juices always important, for a substantial portion is used within their apple butter.

The autumnal routine, in simplest terms, starts with dozens upon dozens of apples being flooded in from an outdoor chute, which allows them to be barreled indoors, becoming finely chopped and then squeezed in the generously-sized press, extracting the apples' juices. Immediately, the cider is pumped into refrigerated tanks, where it then will be stored and bottled.

Of course, apple butter making is more extensive than cider making, and is jumpstarted by waltzing whole apples into waist-high cooking barrels and stewing cider among the rosy rounds, for about four hours. Eventually, the darkened fruit creation is screened, removing apple skins, stems, and seeds, and cooked for additional hours to hone in the perfected taste and texture.

The marveled Montgomery County business also bravely acts as a warehouse, a bottling and jarring factory, and distribution center, allowing the bauman family and their trusted employees to maintain their business at a one-stop-shop—and yes, there's a country store, too.

As a local, rural enterprise praising pure, all-natural creations from the season's sweet and savory fruit, there is no better way to toast your autumn day away than with a flooded glass of Bauman's Apple Cider, perfectly paired aside a wheat cracker topped with a dollop of apple butter—fall's finest creations found victoriously in your backyard.

Bauman's Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Butter is located at 116 Hoffmansville Road in Sassamansville and can be visited during operating in-season hours Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Besides apple butter and cider, their inventory is packed with homemade butters found in flavors like pumpkin, pear, peach, apricot, strawberry-rhurbarb, and sweet tomato. Visit Bauman's online at www.baumanfamily.com or by phone at 610.754.7251.

caramel and candy, an apple's best friend

Finally, autumn has arrived and for a girl who fiends off of the best of the season, my always-Starving Marvin persona couldn't be any more pleased to be gushing over the just-picked apples, gorgeous arrays of pumpkin beer, coffee, breads and pies, and of course, all set in the incoming crisp fall air.

And, although I blab about sweet treats regularly on this blog, and as my blog name assumes, I love apples, I honestly never crunch down on such caramel or candy concoctions. Actually the last time, prior to these autumn-appropriate shots, was when I was a wee lil' one.

B encouraged this recent sugar-coated chow session, and I could have not been any more pleased. However, next time I promise you, I will be the one dunking these darling nut balls for many to enjoy!

a fall flavored harvest pizza

Once the month of September draws near (heck, even late August), I can't help but embrace the autumn season with open arms. Although these scrawny, hungry fall arms may appear to the average daily chomper as already overdoing it with the fall flavors, I honestly consider, is that possible?

Recently, B had anxiously arrived at the idea of an autumn pizza. Sprinkled with the always-addicting pumpkin pie spice, swirled sweetly with some pumpkin puree, and plopped with an overabundance of fresh fall vegetables, it was obvious that such a light bulb in the beau's brain was something that could not be ignored. Taking an old recipe we had from a healthier alternative to Auntie Anne's pretzels, we tackled the challenge of converting the season's best tastes into a doughy and satisfying suppertime sphere of freshness.

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

makes 1

1/2 cup warm water

1 tablespoon yeast

1 teaspoon honey

1 1/4 cup milk

1/2 stick butter

1/4 cup honey

2 teaspoons salt

3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (or, an even amount of allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger)

4 cups whole wheat flour

In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast and honey. Stir together and mush around the yeast. Let sit.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add to honey, salt and milk to pan, and heat to 120 degrees.

Pour milk mixture into yeast mixture and stir. Then, add flour to mixture, a cup at a time (add more flour if needed). Sprinkle in pumpkin pie spice. Knead dough for 5-10 minutes and when able to roll into ball, plop it into a bowl. Cover and let it rise for 1-1 1/2 hours.

Pull the dough out of the bowl and knead for a few times to release the air. On a floured surface, roll wad of dough into desired size and shape of your soon-to-be-made pizza. Set aside.

Select a colorful assortment of fall veggies (see above: green and yellow zucchini, and butternut squash) and to be chopped and placed attractively atop your sauce and smoked cheeses.

For the pizza's sauce, take 8 oz. of tomato sauce and whisk with 8 oz. of pumpkin puree. The saucy blend will appear a gorgeous burnt-orange.

Assemble the sauce, choice of cheese (we selected a mozzarella-and-smoked provolone blend) and chopped fall vegetables atop the pumpkin-spiced crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until toppings are browned and crust appears crispy.

The result: A seasonally-appetizing dinnertime crunch that's accented fall flavors may have you never again craving a cheesy Sicilian snooze.