I'm so excited that this box of fruit came from my own backyard. Our first big harvest! I can't take credit for any of it since Clayton is the gardener around here - but I will gladly gather it all and make some yummy treats with it!
Caramel apples, here we come!
We decided to put in espalier trees a couple years ago, and we love how they save so much space but still produce tons of fruit. The coolest part is that each branch of our apple trees grows a different variety! How did anyone ever figure out how to do this stuff??
Aren't espalier trees pretty?
We have more pears than we can handle, and I thought they'd never grow. Time for one of our favorite fall desserts - Pear Upside Down Cake. You're gonna love it! It's one of those gems I found twenty years ago in a newspaper article. Who knew I'd end up making it every year?
Pear Upside Down Cake
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3 - 4 cups sliced pears
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream (plus more for whipping to serve with cake)
- 1/2 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the sides of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Melt the butter and pour into the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Arrange the pears, cut side down, over the brown sugar, fitting tightly together. Set aside.
Sift the flour with the baking powder, set aside.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until light. Stir in the flour mixture. Add the cream and milk, mix well. Carefully pour the batter into the prepared dish, being careful not to move the pears.
Bake for 40 minutes or until the cake tests done. Remove from oven and let cool for five minutes before turning onto a serving plate. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Thanks for the eggs, ladies!