Virginia has a long history of growing and cooking with apples, dating back at least to Thomas Jefferson.  At Monticello, Jefferson grew many varieties, including his favorites:  Hewes’ Crab and Taliaferro for cider production and Newtown Pippin and Esopus Spitzenburg for dessert fruits.

An hour North of Monticello, Graves Mountain Lodge holds an annual Apple Harvest Festival.  Recently, we loaded up the car and headed to the mountains for a day of food, fun and apple picking.  We came home with plenty of Virginia-grown apples to use in all kinds of apple recipes.

Northwest of Madison, Virginia, Graves Mountain Lodge has been growing apples since the 1960’s.  They offer “pick your own” in their orchards, as well as plenty of fresh-picked, locally-grown apples from their own and other local orchards.  Local food and craft vendors abound, and there’s plenty for the kids to do:  hayrides, a haybale maze, etc.  Nestled in the side of the mountain, the Lodge offers a buffet-style lunch.  On the day we visited, meatloaf was on the menu, along with three bean salad, mashed potatoes, lima beans and yeast rolls – all homemade and all delicious!

Here are some pics from our trip:

Once we got home, I quickly realized I had a HUGE box of apples I needed to use up.  One of the first things I made was this English Apple Shortcake with Brown Sugar and Cream Cheese Crust.  I’d made it before and loved its hint of sweetness, especially when served with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.

It was super easy to make.  Just be sure to drop your peeled, diced apples into a cold water bath with some lemon juice so they won’t brown while you’re making the crust.

The finished product was yummy, and totally worth the drive to Madison!