Buried in apples! Now what do I do?

[Smart Red]

I just came in after picking less than half the apples on my Macfree tree. They are bigger and better than I had expected since I did no spraying. I suspect last year's drought killed all the apple pests off and they haven't made it back yet. Over all the fruit looks great!

My problem:

I haven't done much preserving of any kind since my retirement and my "BIG SICK" two weeks later. I haven't preserved apples at all. They were planted two months before my BIG SICK and this is the first bend-to-the-ground harvest I've ever had.

Now, reading of how much ya'll are doing with your apples, considering my deeply imbedded guilt from eight years of Parochial School, knowing that wasting them is unacceptable, and the fact that I have been feeling stronger and healthier every day; I am ready to try doing something with the first of my apples. "Hangs head (sigh!). . . the pears went to the chickens every one; save those that were eaten out of hand".

What I need are the easiest, simplest, .... ways of processing the apples. I have some canning jars - many were so rusted DH threw them out when I couldn't get up and down the stairs - I have a juicer, I have pressure canners, I have an Excaliber dehydrator, I have a 16 gallon porcelain kraut crock. Heck, I think I even have a peeler somewhere around here. I also have another bigger bunch of apples on this tree and the other two trees (even after giving away two brown paper grocery bags of apples last night).

Like the child with eyes bigger than its stomach, I start with the greatest of intentions. The mind is willing but the followthrough is pathetic.

HELP ME! PLEASE, HELP ME!

 

[digitS']

I don't know who could possibly resist such a plea, Linn Bee! Even I'm here for you and, you know, I'm not a preserver.

How about "reducing" them as far as possible? I don't mean setting a bushel basket or 3 out on the main highway, hoping that someone will stop and pick them up. No. But, you would have less of a good thing if you boiled them away to apple butter or dried them away to chips.

My purchase of apple trees was way back in the '70's and they all ended up in my parent's backyard. (I moved around too much there for awhile.) Anyway, I was not very happy with my choice of varieties for anything but cooking them down. I made applesauce, yes, but I also made apple butter for many years.

My technique was to cook them until the "splattering" became so dangerous that I feared going anywhere near the stove ! At that point, the pot was left to cool and then the contents was spooned into Tupperware containers and carried off to the freezer. Thawed later, the apple butter was just fine in the fridge for several weeks.

Apple chips. DW claims she likes them so well that she just might break out her new dehydrator that I gave her about 5 years ago. I'll believe that she finally gets around to using that thing when I see it! I'm not the chip lover but she certainly seems to like them. How about you?

Steve

 

[Smart Red]

Thanks, digitS!

I did check back posts and found an apple butter recipe that sounds easy and good. Got that started. Of course I plan to make lots of apple chips and smoosh some down for fruit rolls. The chips will start tomorrow. I guess I'm not working this week if school calls. I have more than enough to do here.

One problem is . . . I'm the one most likely to eat the stuff - butter, chips, rolls, whatever . . . and I need more to eat like I need. . . . [insert noun here]. Here's hoping the Grands like it so I can use the apples and make them happy.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Did you say a 16 GALLON kraut crock? Thats huge. Out of curiosity, which kind is it. Is it one with the groove around the top and a lip on the lid so you can form a water lock? Or do you need to weight the cabbage down with a saucer or plate or zip-loc bag filled with water when you are making kraut?

You didnt mention freezer space. Is that an option?

The only thing Ive made with apples for preserving is apple jam, apple sauce, and apple butter. What you have would make a lot of any. A whole lot. Maybe some of each?

Didnt Monty make an apple pie filling and can that so all you need to do is put it in a crust and cook it? Maybe something like that and freeze it instead of canning it?

Ive never made cider but hopefully someone on here has. With your juicer and that huge crock it sounds like there should be some possibilities there.

Maybe just peel them, core them, slice them and freeze them? Figure out how to use them later. Apple dumplings sound good.

Im out of ideas. Hopefully someone else can help.

 

[Smart Red]

How about "reducing" them as far as possible? I don't mean setting a bushel basket or 3 out on the main highway, hoping that someone will stop and pick them up. No. But, you would have less of a good thing if you boiled them away to apple butter or dried them away to chips.

Steve

SIGH! Much to my dismay, I rather like the idea of setting a bushel basket or three down on the main highway or at least taking them to the homeless shelter. Should be no guilt in doing that. But. . . I proudly persevere to peel and preserve my picked pomes properly.

 

[baymule]

Around here, pears have to substitute for apples. I made fruit roll ups and made grape flavor by adding a can of frozen Welch's grape juice to the pear puree. They were good! Maybe if your flavored up the fruit rollups, the grandkids would like them even better! A friend of mine made apple butter and put Red Hots cinnamon candy in it-the best ever!!

 

[Smart Red]

Did you say a 16 GALLON kraut crock? Thats huge. Out of curiosity, which kind is it. Is it one with the groove around the top and a lip on the lid so you can form a water lock? Or do you need to weight the cabbage down with a saucer or plate or zip-loc bag filled with water when you are making kraut?

You didnt mention freezer space. Is that an option?

The only thing Ive made with apples for preserving is apple jam, apple sauce, and apple butter. What you have would make a lot of any. A whole lot. Maybe some of each?

Didnt Monty make an apple pie filling and can that so all you need to do is put it in a crust and cook it? Maybe something like that and freeze it instead of canning it?

Ive never made cider but hopefully someone on here has. With your juicer and that huge crock it sounds like there should be some possibilities there.

Maybe just peel them, core them, slice them and freeze them? Figure out how to use them later. Apple dumplings sound good.

Im out of ideas. Hopefully someone else can help.

There is a lip at the top, but no groove or lid. Son made an oaken lid for the top (makes a great seat) and an oak weight the just fits inside the rim to keep the kraut under water. It may not be 16 gallon, but it has the #16 on the side so I just figured. . .

I do have a small freezer, but worry about the electricity going out. I suppose I could figure something to do with the food since the power is most likely to go out in the winter anyway.

I am planning to try some apple juice for breakfast in the morning. I'll check out making apple cider, but juice is just as good, IMHO, and probably easier. I spent nearly 40 years letting mother-in-law bake all the pies. She made the best crust and it made her feel important and useful. Now that she is gone I know I should learn, but again, guess who ends up eating any pastry I manage? I don't need any more to eat.

We have been discussing sending Gypsy (age 10) over to learn to make pies with her aunt Linda. Gypsy wants to be the family baker and that way most of what "we" make can go home with her.

 

[thistlebloom]

Those sure are some pretty apples Red! If I had a juicer I would make lots of juice, and I would make lots of dried apples too, those are so good to snack on. I think your mention of Gypsy becoming the family baker sounds like a great plan. She could come to grammies, bake up a pie with your apples and take it home. Applesauce is easy and handy to have on hand, it 's great in cakes as a substitute for the fat.

I always find that I'm more interested in the growing than the processing. I have 10 gallons of peppers to deal with right now.

 

[journey11]

On the bright side, if you have a cool, dark place to put them (or even an extra fridge), they will keep a few months, so maybe that will take some of the pressure off.

The absolute quickest thing you could do, IMO, would be to get out the peeler/corer/slicer and put the slices into the dehydrator. Second to that would be to make cider using your juicer, which isn't the traditional way of doing it, but that's how I do it and it works. Then you could can the cider if you wish, or make ACV (which pretty much makes itself really).

I just got a food strainer for my b-day. Like a Squeezo, but the off-brand, and I am ALL about not having to core or peel. I've been making apple butter and canning it. Apple butter or apple sauce would probably be your 3rd easiest bet.

 

[so lucky]

What a good problem to have, Linn Bee!
But I'm like thistle, in that I like the growing of things more than the preserving of said things.
I don't know if you have a big Christmas gift list, but a pretty jar of apple butter sure makes a nice addition to a food basket.
I will have to buy apples, to make apple butter. I saw homegrown Jonathans for $9 a half bushel. I guess that is a pretty good price. I don't have a corer/peeler, or I would make pie filling. My old twisted hands can barely handle a potato to peel, let alone a big pile of apples! :/