‘Tis time for apple harvest.
What has the warm aroma of fall more than a house filled with the delicious scent of baking apples?
It's delicious. Ain't no bones about it.
This past Saturday, my slave labor…er…my husband…and I spent the better part of Saturday morning putting up our applesauce for the season. Sure, it was work. But the fall deliciousness we shall enjoy all winter long will far surpass the pain of chopping, cooking, and mushing. And even though on the very first slice of the very first apple Stuart cut his finger badly, somehow we managed to work through the bags of fruit. With BandAids.
It began on Thursday, when Georgia and I ventured approximately 200 feet from our house to pick as many apples as we could manage! I picked. Georgia ate.
We're a great team.
Have I mentioned how grateful I am when people allow us to glean their goodness? These apples will just go to waste if not picked, so we were eager to help out.
Aren't we, like, so selfless?
And help we did. I'm not sure how many pounds it ended up being, but it was as many bags as I was willing to lug back to the car with a baby on my hip.
Quick side-note here. Did you know that the wee little town I love in is the Apple Capital of the WORLD. That's right, people. The world. More apples are grown here than anywhere else in the world…
…or so they say. My point is simply this – we got apples. Lots of 'em. Growin' everywhere in all their autumn goodness. This is a great time of year in our valley.
Now as far as applesauce making goes, let's be honest…I'm pretty lazy. Apples fall at the end of the preserving season, and as previously noted, girlfriend is tired. Girlfriend is ready to crochet & knit & blog & clean & sit on the couch. But I mustered enough strength to pull through on the final push of preservation – and I know I will be thankful through the winter.
I saw a few recipes that called for peeling and coring the apples…
…but that wasn't gunna happen. Not on this homestead anyway.
Instead, we opted to chop them in quarters….
…cook them down until soft (half-hour or so)…
…and then put them through this wonderful food-mill my Aunt let me borrow.
And that's it. Hello, applesauce.
We put up approximately 11 gallons and instead of canning, we chose to just freeze it. Why? Because I'm lazy. And ladling the sauce into gallon freezer bags was much easier than lugging out the canning supplies.
We chose to only season with vanilla for the time being, though when we sit down to sip down a sweet bowl, we sprinkle it with ground nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, and a pinch of rapadura or a drizzle of honey.
It's divine.
Rich. Humble. Basic. Decadent.
Feeling a little fancier? Drizzle some delicious cream over the top. Or add a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Or a handful of toasted walnuts & almonds. Heaven. On. Earth.
Oh, and while Stuart and I were preoccupied with the applesauce, our daughter (who only had on one sock somehow…) piddled on the floor and ate dog food.
Needless to say, we're pretty incredible parents.
Luckily, I'm pretty sure she'll survive!
Thus the blessing of children. Their resilient and washable little buggers. And I love 'em.
Almost as much as applesauce.
God is good!
Our little Georgia takes after her uncle Jordan… He too liked his snack to be dog food when he was a wee one and look how he turned out!!;)
Oh great! We did 4 quarts already but I want to do more–now I’m just waiting for my amazing invitation to come glean a bunch of apples somewhere for free!
Wow that looks wonderful. Our apple trees are not quite ready. I did notice that you did not core the apples first….wondering if I could do the same but using my applesauce mill? I have already cored them and yes, it’s a lot of work.a…so if your way is easier I’m all for it.
I just don’t have a mill like yours…but a cone shaped one.
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Applesauce is one of my favorite things to preserve because our kids love it so much. I have to take several deep breaths before doing it though because I usually can about 100 quarts for our crew. It’s a lot of work but worth it in the end! I find local apples don’t need any added flavor except maybe a little cinnamon. My grandmother used to put butter in hers. Not sure why but sometimes I do that, because, well, you know…butter!