I’m feeling all the feels towards apples these days. It’s the first day of school and that gorgeous visual of an apple on the teacher’s desk keeps creeping up on me. I’m fairly certain I’ve never seen it in real life but if enough books and TV shows tell us it’s real, well then it must be. Earlier this week we drove for seven (seven!) hours up to the top of the country and then back down to drop our son off at Mechina. He’s enough of a mama’s boy to appreciate the ride but also enough of a teenager to make sure we didn’t embarrass him when we dropped him off.

The apple harvest in Israel is in full swing and will continue for awhile. Red apples have been harvested and the green and yellows aren’t far behind.

This week, Dikla played around with apple jam. I keep insisting that it is something to be smeared, while she contends it is chunkier and more rustic. As usual, she’s right. This recipe just shouts new beginnings and autumn from the rooftops.

Ingredients

5 apples, peeled and diced

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

2 c sugar (you can use brown sugar or white sugar)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 c water

Directions

Add everything except the water into a pot

Start on a high flame and when things start boiling, lower the flame

Allow the liquids to reduce and then add the water

Add the water

Cook for an hour and a half.