Monday, September 27, 2010

apples, apples, apples

This year was a particularly good year for our apple tree. We've been enjoying them for well over a month now and the final apple was picked just a few days ago. It's great to have such excellent apples on hand. We've mostly been eating them fresh but Doug has made applesauce with his Foley food mill a few times. I love his applesauce.

We had about three times as many apples in our refrigerator and on our countertop as you can see in this current picture but we've been eating so much of them that it's finally gotten down to a manageable quantity. These will last us for probably another month if we take our time.


Last week my awesome friend JoAnn offered to make us a pie so I took her enough apples for two pies and today we got to taste the results of her excellent pie-making skills. This pie tasted perfect to me. It was tangy and not too sweet and the baking seemed to make the flavor of the apples even more intense. And they were tasty apples to begin with. The crust was delicious too. Thanks JoAnn!

Now that I have an actual kitchen maybe I should learn how to make a pie. I remember watching my grandmother do it many times when I was growing up. And I'll be able to take the pie out of the oven with my amazing new potholders.


See how red that apple is? Usually when you buy MacIntosh apples in the store, or when the deer knock them off your tree, they are half red and half green. If you don't pick them too early they'll become sweeter and they turn completely red on the outside.

The next best thing to having your own tree is to hit one of the local fruit stands. There are actually orchards that are not too far out of town. And now is also an excellent time to buy locally made apple cider.

4 comments:

Kristin said...

Pies. Applesauce. Cider... Yum. I need more time! I'll have to carve some out to hit an orchard or, at least, a roadside stand.

Barbara said...

That pie is really gorgeous! I'll bet you could duplicate it. The only trouble is along with the apples you get all the fat that goes into the delicious crust. My mouth is watering as I type this.

We've made several batches of cooked applesauce with apples we get from the CSA. The secret ingredients of that recipe are lemon peel (not the white part), the juice of one lemon, and a cinnamon stick.

I'm really jealous that you have your very own apple tree. I think it's an achievement that you managed to harvest all those without them getting eaten by all the animals and worms and other apple predators.

Cyndy said...

Kristin - I think some of the farmers markets bring in apples from some of the local orchards so you shouldn't have to travel too far.

Barbara - Yes, the pie is mouth-wateringly good. We still have one slice each to go.

Your applesauce sounds really delicious. I asked Doug what he put in his last batch and he said "Apples." I was surprised it didn't turn brown with nothing else in it.

Grace said...

Wow! I would love to have an apple tree. Apple pie is my favorite dessert to make.