Buried in apples! Now what do I do?

[Smart Red]

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!!

I do remember your pear/grape juice roll ups post. It was my intent to make some of that with the pears. Alas, that didn't go. I do intend to try some just apple, some with grape juice, maybe a cherry juice blend, and I rather like the red hots idea. Thanks so much.

* To all -- the crock pot apple butter is on and cooking. That's close to 50 peeled, cored, and chopped apples. I'll need to get some cinnamon, but since I was advised to add it last, I have plenty of time. If I get nothing else done, I am way ahead of past years. Now to get to the store for lemon juice and spices, then dust off my dehydrator.

 

[Smart Red]

Hum-m-m-m, if I have to buy another small freezer, what will the "free" apples cost?

 

[Smart Red]

Whew! That's a lot of work for five pints of apple butter. Here are the fruits of my labor.

Ask me if I'm proud. You bettcha! However, I didn't even make a dent in my container of apples.

 

[NwMtGardener]

Whoa! 50 apples to 5 pints, talk about reduction!! It looks wonderful, you should be proud!

If you do this once a week for the next 3 months you'll make a serious dent!!

 

[ducks4you]

I have put up 19 quarts of apple cidar. I THOUGHT I needed a press but I found the following recipe online (MY version, after 4 tries):
quarter eight to ten apples
1 cup sugar
2 cinnamon sticks

Put all ingredients in a deep pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and boil for one hour. Turn down and simmer for 2 hours.
Let cool---or NOT.
Drain in a collandar into a bowl. Mash cooked apples until you get every bit of liquid out that you can get.
Fill jars, boil the lids and put lids on HOT. Process on hot water bath for one hour.
Yield: 1 pint-2 quarts
Some of my cooks have had more liquid than others. I suggest that you put up to 4 pots of this on the stove at the same time for more quarts.
You kitchen smells FANTASTIC when you're doing this, so you might just want to harvest your apples and keep them until you close up the house.

 

[digitS']

But ~ that isn't cider for tippling, Ducks'!

A variation reminds me of the way my neighbors use their Concord grapes for juice. The juice is, kind of by-product of the canning process for the grapes.

Super Easy Canned Grape Juice (they do like this)

I don't believe this would work real well for either wine or alcoholic cider. I learned that cooking is a no-no because it clouds the finishing product. I made a rice/raisin/winter squash wine that was pretty good once. No cooking.

Steve

 

[ducks4you]

I've been reading and not DOING alcohol, even though I got a winemaking kit for my b'day last December. Anyway, people make wine from things like bottled grape juice, so I've processed mine and I'm letting them sit in my pantry until after Christmas to try some wine AND some heady cidar. =b