September 23, 2007

  • This weekend we went on a church activity apple picking.  We had a really nice time (oops, forgot my camera, bad mommy!) and got a load of apples that I now need to peel, core, slice and freeze so we can have apple pie and apple crisp and all kinds of other apple goodness all year long.

    Before we began picking the apples the owner of the orchard came out to talk to our group.  It was evident in the way she spoke how much she loved what she did.  She spoke to our children about how to treat apples and how to pick them so as not to damage the tree or next year's buds.

    You may have read that there has recently been a honeybee problem in our country.  Something is just killing them off.  And you know that those little honeybess pollinate the trees and flowers.  She told us that this year all of the bees in two out of her three honeybee hives died. 

    I love how she described what she in normal years would do during pollinating season.  She said she would go out among her apple trees, close her eyes and just listen to the bees pollinating her trees.  She said, to her, it sounded like a beautiful symphony.  But she said this year, she closed her eyes and it sounded like a symphony warming up.  When she opened her eyes, she saw all different kinds of winged insects pollinating her trees.  She said it was amazing to see and this year she had one of her best crops in 20 years.

    Isn't it wonderful how God took care of His creation in that way?  God is so good to us in ways that we don't even realize. 

    Now that I have all of these apples, I am thinking about all the yummy things I can make with them.

    I have never made applesauce, but I'd love to learn how.  If you have a great applesauce recipe or some tips to make mine wonderful, I'd love to hear them.  Such as, I don't have a food mill.  Do I need one or if I just cook the apples down enough will they just mash up?

    I'm looking forward to hearing everyone's advice.

     

     

     

     

Comments (11)

  • If I were you, I would give some away.  Maybe to a friend who has 5 children. . .LOL. . . .JUST KIDDING.

    I have some apple recipes on my site--my applesauce recipe is there.  I"ll message you the date to look up.

    I'm so glad you had a good time and that you met someone who loves what she does---it makes a difference when you talk to someone like that, doesn't it? 

    Happy first day of fall!

    PS, you just cook the apples down for applesauce.  it's sooooo easy. 

  • That sounds so fun!  We have a bunch of apple trees in "the back 40" :) but the previous owners let them overgrow and didn't take care of them.  We are still in the process of pruning them to where they should be (dh has had to cut off huge limbs on each tree) so we are not really getting edible apples off them yet.  I used to make and can applesauce at our old house but I did use the mill thingy.  I think you can just cook them down and mash them, adding sugar to taste (and I add cinnamon), then either freeze or can it.  It probably will be somewhat lumpy if you don't use a mill but some people prefer the lumps.  I like it either way.

    Have fun!  Your family will love it.

    Blessings,
    Laurie

  • We lived in Virginia for five years, and every fall our church did the same kind of trip.  It was always so fun.  One year, I made apple butter - one of my family's favorite things.  It was SO MUCH work, but the apple butter was absolutely "out of the world" yummy!  My parents enjoyed it so much.

    The story of the bees is just beautiful.  It brought tears to my eyes.  Would you mind if I linked to this post from my blog?  I would love for others to read this story.

    Thanks for sharing,

    Alesha

  • I love the story of the provision of many winged insects to pollinate the trees ~ beautiful.  I use a food mill to do applesauce normally, but sometimes, I just like to cook them down and have "chunky" applesauce and just add a bit of cinnamon and sugar to taste ~ it is so wonderful to eat while it is warm and it make the house smell awesome!

  • that is such a neat story, thanks for sharing it.  I came over here from akconklin's site.

  • One of my favorite memories of a kid in the 1960's was making applesauce with my mom.  There was an apple tree on the property where my dad worked.  The apples would just fall to the ground and go to waste, so my dad asked if he could pick them and the company said sure.  We had more fun making the applesauce.  It's neat to see a tradition continue through to the great nieces!  Have a great time!

  • We've been getting apples from our local orchard for quite awhile now...we eat them so fast and I have to force myself to keep some back for the extra recipes I have! I love making apple sauce, apple crisp, apple pie, and apple butter! After peeling and coring them, I just cook my applesauce down and if it's lumpy, I'll just use a masher to make it smooth. Then I 'can' it...I don't normally add sugar...we like to warm it up with a bit of cinnamon on top...sometimes we put marshmallows on top of it and warm it in the oven...the marshmallows melt, and it makes it quite sweet! I love the story of the bees, and God's provision! We do have friends who have a honey farm, and they have lost some of their bees this past year! We pray for God's provision for them, too. It's been a rough year for them.

    You have a wonderful Monday, Cathi!

    Be blessed in Him.
    ~ Deborah <><

  • What a cool story!  It is awesome the ways the God works!  I haven't made applesauce but I hav heard you don't even peel them that you just cook them and then mush them.  I have heard that some people when they peel apples they dry the peels over a heater vent or on a wood stove and it make a good aroma.  I have also heard of people hundred of years ago boiling the peels but I don't know what they used them for--they didn't waste anything on the apple. Lish

  • I make applesauce with the apples from our trees.  All I do is peel them , cook them down on the stove-top with a couple of tablespoons of water (just so the apples don't burn on the bottom of the pan) and a sprinkle of cinnamon.  I usually use medium high heat until they start to boil and then turn the heat down to low and simmer.  When the apples are really mushy (about 15-20 minutes for a medium size pot) - I just get out my potato masher and help them the rest of the way.  You don't get perfectly smooth applesauce - but my kids actually like it better that way.  My kids like to eat it still warm with a dollop of whipped topping.  You can also freeze the applesauce in plastic containers to enjoy later in the winter.  I just let the container defrost in the fridge overnight.

    I hope this helps

    Sounds like a very fun and educational trip to the orchard!  Thanks for sharing.

  • What a neat experience and story!  And, when you make applesauce, you can freeze it.  My mom used to freeze it, and we LOVED to eat it when it was still partially frozen........better than popsicles!! 

    I visited from aconklin's site, too.

  • I love apple picking! Sounds like you had a fun time! :)

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