A good day of picking might just result in an apple crisp pie. Photography by Douglas Merriam.

Farm stands all around the state have the raw materials to make sweet treats and other homemade delectables. Growers are often delighted to suggest favorite recipes. We asked three of them for these.

Heidi’s Raspberry Farm
600 Andrews Lane, Corrales; (505) 898-1784

Although Heidi Eleftheriou spent a few years running a U-pick raspberry plot in Los Lunas, in 2016 she reopened her original field in Corrales for the short berry season, usually mid-August to mid-October. She also sells berries and jams at farmers’ markets in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Corrales. Buy the jams year-round through her website and at grocery stores in New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Kansas.

Heidi’s Raspberry Lavender Shrub
This sweet-tart elixir shows off the fruity, floral notes of the jam and follows them with a pleasant zing. Serves 1

  • 2 tablespoons Heidi’s Raspberry Lavender Jam
  • 2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon brandy or rum (optional)
  • Sparkling water or sparkling wine
  • Mint leaves Lemon wedge
  1. In a cocktail shaker, combine the jam, vinegar, and brandy or rum. Add crushed ice and shake vigorously.
  2. Strain the mixture into a martini glass or a rocks glass (with ice cubes if you like).
  3. Top off with sparkling water or sparkling wine.
  4. Garnish with mint and lemon.

Mesilla Valley Maze
3855 W. Picacho Ave., Las Cruces; (575) 526-1919

A visit to Mesilla Valley Maze is a tradition for Las Cruces families. In the pumpkin patch, kids can pick out gourds, from itty-bitty 50-cent size to what owner Anna Lyle describes as “$25 for oh-my-gosh-it-takes-three-of-us-to-pick-it-up” size. 

Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie
Serves 8

  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 3 eggs 1 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1 cup apple butter
  • 1 cup half-and-half
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon each ground ginger, clove, and nutmeg
  • 1 unbaked 9-inch pastry shell
  • Whipped cream and toasted chopped pecan pieces for garnish
  1. In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar and cornstarch, then add next 5 ingredients and stir well. Whisk in salt and spices until well blended. Pour into pastry shell.
  2. Bake at 400° for 50–55 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cover edges loosely with foil during the last 20 minutes if necessary.
  3. Cool the pie on wire rack. Garnish with whipped cream and pecans if desired.

Cadwallader Mountain Farms
13 Mountain Park Road, High Rolls Mountain Park; (575) 682-2351

The Cadwalladers’ century-old farm is nestled in cool, green Mountain Park, part of what was the historic Fruit Basket of New Mexico, about halfway between Alamogordo and Cloudcroft. It is best known for early-summer sweet and sour cherries, which visitors have been picking straight from the trees since the early 1940s. But later in summer come crisp apples and juicy peaches, ripening on the easy-to-reach branches of dwarf trees.

If you don’t feel up to picking your own apples, you can buy them at the farm stand. Either way, the first ones are usually ready by mid-August, and the last ones are gone by mid-October. Angie Cadwallader likes to use Jonathan or Rome apples for this pie because they hold their shape better than varieties like Red Delicious.

Apple Crisp Pie
Serves 8
For crumb topping:

  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup oatmeal (regular, not quick-cooking)
  • 1/2 cup butter, cut into -inch cubes

For filling:

  • 6 large apples
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1 unbaked 9-inch pastry shell
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, brown sugar, and oatmeal.
  2. Add the butter and use a pastry cutter or your fingers to work it into the flour mixture. Chill.
  3. Core, peel, and slice the apples.
  4. Toss the apples with the sugar, cinnamon, and flour, then pour them into the prepared crust. Sprinkle with the crumb topping.
  5. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the apples are tender but not mushy.