pumpkins and apples, oh my.
Heading to the Detroit Farmer’s Market always worries me. I am used to local, seasonal markets and the inner city market tends to be full of vendors selling “Idaho Potatoes” and berries still in their plastic grocery store packages. It really takes some investigating to find the actual local organic produce, and honestly, it is scarce. I feel better heading to Whole Foods, knowing that I will come home with a full bounty of organic fruit and vegetables. The smaller suburban markets (and maybe Ann Arbor, I have yet to go) are the ones with more local farm vendors, but I still try to give the Detroit Market a chance every once in a while.
I don’t think it is bell pepper season anymore…but pumpkins and squash, yes please.
Our loot was butternut squash, brussel sprouts, beets, and some of these little guys:
V is a California boy with a Texan family history. He picked up some Aloe to make our little garden complete.
Before venturing into pie or galette making, I decided to make an upside down apple cake. As I am not much of a fluffy cake lover, I went with a more dense cake with grapeseed oil and walnuts. V raved about it and I woke up to about 2/3 of it missing this morning. The recipe was from a favorite site, La Tartine Gourmande (check out her stunning photography as well). I made the following changes: three flax eggs instead of eggs, grapeseed oil instead of olive, whole wheat pastry flour instead of gluten-free flours, and coconut milk yogurt instead of dairy yogurt. I tasted some this morning and loved the crispy crust-like edges and soft walnut studded interior.
Pumpkin Pie pancakes were made again.
There is also some cookie cravings going on in this loft. I usually make small batches of cookies and forget that I no longer live alone and should probably make more for two stomachs. First, I must make a trek for some vanilla after finishing it off this morning…
Other things:
-Do you find that you seem to go through vanilla, cinnamon, or other baking ingredients much quicker than the average person?
-Are you a fluffy cake person? Do you prefer other desserts?
A Fresh Dille 
I love your recent posts, they are wonderful, i want to live your life ;P haha! farmers markets, apple/pumpkin picking, apple upside down cake and Pumpkin pie Pancakes..gosh you are one lucky girl + and very skilled in the kitchen + with fashion and photography!
any way 😉 i do tend to go through cinnamon REALLY fast ha, i use it on almost everything(not everything, but you know 😉 ) !
xx
eliza
I go through vanilla, cinnamon, and ground ginger like crazy!
I like cake, but I’d probably choose a good cookie over cake.
I feel like I go through spices like crazy, too! I also used to add vanilla extract to everything, too – but luckily, have stopped. I didn’t like paying so much for the good extract every week! haha. I wisened up and now buy these huge jugs of cinnamon for next to nothing in bulk, though 😛
The apple cake looks amazing! Good to know the vegan subs work, too. Sometimes I get nervous when a recipe calls for a lot of eggs, as to whether using flax eggs will work or not.
The pumpkin pie pancakes look amazing, too. Seriously, though – when doesn’t your food look amazing?! V is quite lucky 😉
Oh gosh this all looks incredible.
I go through VANILLA and spices very very quickly, but I still shell out for quality. I think its worth it. We are cooking at home atleast? Eh?
And fluffy cake is lovely every once in a while, but I never crave cake! Just vanilla bean ice cream/gelato.
Wish we had farmers’ markets here! The rows and baskets full of produce look so fresh and pretty, especially the way you photograph it:)
I go through cinnamon really quickly too, and it’s just by myself! Cinnamon is doled out in dashes and dashes of it:)
Your pictures make me want to try every bite. Both of those recipes sound fabulous. And I’ve never thought about farmers markets not always having the most local options. That’s interesting.
Ok, so that cake looks amazing (as do the pumpkin pie pancakes)!!! and yes much more so than a fluffy sponge or something similar, my sister makes the most beautiful upside-down cakes, I might have to try veganise some of her recipes to share!!
I seem to go through vanilla way too quickly, and need to source out a place that sells it in bulk so I can just refill my jar. Maybe the local coop…
I know what you mean about markets. Sometimes they’re full of great organic, local farmers, and others times it’s more like an outdoor grocery store. I would be that the Ann Arbor one is pretty good; college town farmers’ markets need to please.
[…] said it before, but I am not really a pie person, and enjoyed the upside down cake more because of the more complex texture and […]
I go through vanilla and cinnamon way too fast. I feel like I am always rushing out to the store to buy them. I also go through coconut milk yogurt too quickly. Thank goodness So Delicious now makes the vanilla and plain in 16-oz containers!
And even though I’m a fluffy-cake kind of gal, your apple upside down cake looks incredible, and I am looking forward to trying it.