Hippie or just Hungry?

I don’t really consider myself crunchy. I don’t own Birkenstock’s. I bathe daily and use artificial deodorant. I don’t smoke weed, I snuggle into slabs of meat (the bloodier the better) and I adore high heels.

But I make my own granola.

Every week.

For a long time, I thought cereal came into the world fully formed inside a Kellogg’s box. That’s where Cheerios grow up, right? I never thought it could be made without the industrial-scale help of factory. Apparently, it’s easy. (Once you’ve got yourself some flattened grains, of course.) It seemed like magic the first time I tried: Cereal! From our kitchen oven!

Now I can’t stop.

The best part is the endless combination of possible flavors: vanilla, hazelnut, coconut, molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, any dried fruit, any nut, any juice… And it can be sweetened to taste. It’s just important to keep the ratio of liquid to dry goods about the same (although even that can be forgiving.)

Here’s a recent batch. The cider and dried apples came from Williams Farm in Ulster Park, NY. If you like things on the sweeter side, add 2-3 tablespoons of sugar to the cider or juice.

Farmer Market-infused Granola

4 cups quick cooking oatmeal
¼ cup chopped walnuts
¼ tsp salt
1 - 2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp allspice
1 cup apple cider
1 Tbs peanut oil (canola would work too)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sliced dried apples
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine the first five ingredients in a large bowl. Pour the cider, oil, vanilla and sugar (if using) into a small pot. Bring to boil. Pour over oat mix, in portions, mixing aggressively until entire mix is thoroughly coated. (I like to use my hands once it has cooled a bit.) Oat mix should be just barely moist.

Crumble onto lightly-sprayed jellyroll pans or baking sheets. Bake for about one hour, stirring every 15 minutes, until golden brown. Mix with dried fruit.

It will store in an airtight container for about 2 ½ weeks, although ours never sticks around that long.

dreamstime stock photo by Petar Neyche