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play with your food An Apple a Day Apple-picking season brings day- trip opportunities and tasty treats By Michael and Jean Muckian Autumn in Wisconsin means harvest time—and the crisp, clean crunch of apples is certainly one of Wisconsin's tastier bounties. In order to enjoy the complete apple experience, a day trip to Gays Mills is a must. Nestled in the Kickapoo River Val- ley about 80 miles northwest of Madison, the Gays Mills area offers near-perfect conditions for its apple growers. Eight orchards call the valley home, and whether you're looking to pick your own or let someone else do the dirty work, each offers a unique experience. Depending on when you make Closer to home you can get in on the apple pickin' fun at Appleberry Farm in the trek, you will fi nd a host of apple varieties to choose from—and to get a taste you adore, sampling a few is recommended! As mid-September rolls around, both the Sunrise and Fleming Orchards offer bushels full of honey crisp apples, a favorite for snacking. Other apple varieties ready during September include Macintosh, Cortland, Mutsu, Granny Smith, Golden and Red Delicious, among others. Some are better for baking (Gran- ny Smith makes a perfectly tart pie while Golden Delicous is a sweeter alternative) and others are better fresh (Macintosh and Cortland are great for out-of-hand snacking!). Buy a bushel of just one variety or mix it up for all your apple needs. At every orchard you'll also fi nd a boun- ty of imaginative creations showing how you can make more with this delectable Good for You! Cross Plains and Eple- gaarden Orchard in Fitchburg. fruit than just apple pie. Sunrise Orchards is known for their delicious apple cider donuts. Fleming Orchards carries apple turnovers, apple cookies and caramel apples. Kickapoo Orchard has apple pizza— a thick, crusty creation topped with fresh apples, sugar, spice, almonds and a buttery topping drizzled with soft caramel. And, of course, most offer fresh apple cider—a delicious treat as the weather cools. For a special apple experience, pencil Sept. 24 and 25 on your calendar for the 53rd annual Apple Festival, where Gays You already know apples are an excellent source of dietary fi ber, Vitamin C and the Vitamin B1 complex, but there's more. Recent research has focused on the fruit's polyphenols, chemical groupings with distinct health benefi ts. Most are found in the apple skin, and can help reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes and other diseases. In fact, apples are red largely because of their level of anthocyanin, an antioxidant fl avonoid thought to promote good health. The redder the apple, the higher the level of anthocyanin and the health benefi ts it brings. Apple Beer Mills celebrates this year's harvest with a variety of scheduled events including a run/walk and a parade. Wherever you head, you're guaranteed to have a quintessential and uniquely Wis- consin experience. Michael and Jean Muckian have covered the local food and arts scenes for over 25 and 15 years, respectively. Find their blog, Culturosity, at bravamagazine.com. We don't think an apple beer a day will keep the doctor away, but several local craft brewers have turned our favorite fruit into tasty libations. New Glarus Brewing Co.'s Apple Ale, a World Beer Championship gold-medal winner, combines the juice of Cortland, McIntosh and Jonathan apples blended with ale brewed from Wisconsin-farmed wheat. Meanwhile, Fallen Apple from Spring Green's Furthermore Brewery blends 40 percent fresh-pressed apple cider with 60 percent cream ale for a tart, vivacious brew. The beers, released later this fall, assure a bountiful brewing harvest for us all. 68 BRAVA Magazine September 2011 Photo by Anne Connor