When growing up on the farm I remember the apple orchard behind the house. It was turned into a pasture for the small calves to roam about.
I would enter through the picket fence gate that embraced the front of this beautiful lot of grass and pick the apples.
They were small in size with perhaps a bite or two sampled by a bug, but inside they were sweet with a hint of tartness.
I didn’t care how they looked or tasted, I just liked spending time roaming about the trees. Through time and expansion the orchard gave way to grain bins and new buildings but the memory of it’s simple beauty and the way it made me feel is always there…
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Roasted Pork Loin with Apples and Acorn Squash
by The Gourmet Farm Girl
3- 31/2 pound boneless pork loin
1 1/2 cups apple juice
2 stalks celery with leaves cut into pieces
1 small onion cut into pieces
2 medium size apples cut into slices
1 medium acorn squash sliced
1 sprig fresh rosemary or 1/2 tablespoon dried
2 tablespoons of The Gourmet Farm Girl House Seasoning Blend
or your favorite meat seasoning
Extra virgin olive oil
Heat oven to 425 degrees
Drizzle olive oil into a roasting pan and place meat in pan with fat side up; pour apple juice over the loin and sprinkle with seasoning; arrange onions, celery, apples and squash around the sides and on top;
place spring of rosemary on last.
Cover and roast in oven for 40 minutes, remove cover and roast for an additional 10-12 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees
Remove from oven and cover; let rest for 10-12 minutes before serving
Alterations: add fennel bulbs, turnips, carrots or potatoes to the broth
Serves: 6-8
ENJOY!