Melora the Apple

It's hard to beat a good fresh apple. They're a juicy, they're sweet, and they're high in fiber! But biting into a bruised or over ripe apple can be disappointing. Worry not- your apples still have life to live and Melora (the golden apple) is here to tell you how to turn your apple cores into Apple Tea, and to introduce us to Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Rolls!

Welcome my friends, (She said with a wink), I hope as we walk, My words make you think. Over the holler, There stands a grove. Trees with pink flowers, That everyone knows. Now, what happens when, All the flowers die? They’ll be replaced, With fruit you should try. The apples that grow, Taste fresh and sweet. Red ones and green ones, And gold ones to eat. Excuse my neglect, We’ve traveled quite far, You don’t know my name, Now that’s just bizarre… My name is Melora, after my skin, Kissed by the sun, Just like my kin.

There is no beginning, for life is a loop, We’ll start our discussion, With insect poop. That’s gross, and disgusting, But what you will find, The best trees will grow, In what’s left behind. We love all the trees, They give us great shade, But when it cools down, The canopy fades. The fruits will drop first, Then leaves will fall, And create an environment, For insects to crawl. Under the blanket, The microbes will feast, Transferring what fell, Into carbon for me. You like sweet food? We need carbon to grow. Letting leaves rot- Returns nutrients below…

Thriving in soil, In the water trees drinks, Nutrients and minerals, That the sun helps to link. Through photosynthesis we find, Energy is stored, The trees grow much bigger, And produce food people hoard. Where do trees come from? You might already know, If you cut open an apple, They have something to show. Inside the core, Of every apple we see, Are a few small seeds, From which grow these great trees. A new stock of arbors, Join the great bloom, And flowers will brighten, The darkest of gloom. Apple trees are important, Found the world round. We buy the fruit by the bushel- The gram and the pound.

They’re not hard to grow, But it takes lots of care. So, value these trees- And learn how to share. You can eat the whole fruit, Except the seeds and the stem. To help restore carbon, You should compost both ‘them. If you can’t eat the core, Your apples can make, A tasty simple tea, On the run, you can take. Save up your cores, 2 or 3 will do. Boil them in water, Just a cup or two. You can drink it straight, Or add something sweet, Enjoy this simple drink, With the friends you will meet. Once you have used, All the parts that you can, And turned what’s left over, Into more food again…

It’s time to return, The carbon to earth. Through the process of compost, We can fulfill our whole worth.

Apple Tea

Ingredients:

• 2 apple cores- seeds removed

• 1-2 Cups of water

Directions:

1. Remove seeds from core.

2. Bring 1-2 cups of water to a boil on the stove.

3. Add cores.

4. Boil for 5-10 minutes.

5. Drink hot or cool down.

6. Add sweetener (if desired).

Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 1/2 Cup sourdough start

• 2 1/2 Cups flour

• 2 Tbsp. sugar

• 2/3 Cup water

• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Filling:

• 5 Tbsp. butter

• 1/2 Cup sugar

• 1 Tbsp. cinnamon

• 2 bruised apples (cubed)

Glaze:

• 3 Tbsp. butter

• 1 Cup powdered sugar

• 1 Tbsp. milk (add more if needed)

Directions:

1. Combine sourdough start, flour, sugar and water in a bowl.

2. Kneed dough until uniform.

3. Grease ball of dough and store in a warm place for 12-24 hours (until doubled in size.

4. When dough is ready, prepare filling.

5. Combine room temperature butter, sugar, cinnamon.

6. Dice apples.

7. Roll out dough into a large flat sheet.

8. Cover in sugar/cinnamon icing.

9. Top with apples.

10. Roll up.

11. Cut to 1 inch.

12. Place in a greased baking pan.

13. Cook at 350 F for 25-30 minutes.

14. Prepare icing. Combine melted butter, powdered sugar and milk.

15. Pour over finished rolls.

16. Serve and eat!