Too Many Apples

[Sentath]

(if such a thing is possible)

Our apple tree gave us a really good harvest this year, 4+ Avon boxes, full. Most have terrible looking skin from being wet all year.

They're more baking than eating being quite tart and firm. We will be dehydrating what we can't use up quickly (the freezer is full of this year's good cheap peaches from a semi local orchard).

Any suggestions? No time or energy to can I'm afraid..

[kestrel91316]

1. I'd be making applesauce and canning them. Lots of pies and crisps while

they are fresh. And yeah, dehydrating. Oh, and I'd be making crockpot apple butter, too.

Applesauce and apple butter aren't all that time-consuming IMHO. Have to stay at home while they are cooking only if you don't use a crockpot. And boiling water baths you can do while dinner's going on.

JMHO.

[Warpy]

2. I'd be canning applesauce and apple butter

and making apple jelly. You can control the sweetness with sugar.

You can even make apple pie filling and freeze it, just cook it on top of the stove until the apples soften the way they do in pie. Canned pie filling is great in winter when you want to bake a batch of turnovers or do a German filled apple pancake or even eat it over ice cream or rice pudding.

There's no such thing as too many apples, IMO.

[Delphinus]

5. I had some extra apples this year, too.

I hadn't thought of doing canned pie filling - will remember that for next year!

[hippywife]

3. Dryng is a great idea

as well as cooking and freezing them (if you have room) for later use. I would also google crockpot apple butter recipes. It's easy and you can put some in the fridge for immediate use and then do a simple hot water canning method for the rest. Not much energy needed there, really.

:hi:

[Retrograde]

6. they freeze ok

I peel, slice and freeze them. A quart ziploc bag is enough for an apple crisp, 2 will do a good-sized pie.

They discolor and are a bit soft when thawed, but they taste fine when baked.

[sandnsea]

4. I'm going to make pie filling

and freeze it, if you have any room left in your freezer.

[ginnyinWI]

7. We have five trees and they all bore fruit this year--

so I'm up for ideas too!

We haven't been spraying so most of the fruit is no good and will be piled up for the deer to eat, but we've still got a lot of good ones--five different kinds. Macs, red delicious, golden delicious, and two red softer varieties, don't know what they are but ripen earlier than the others.

I've made applesauce and frozen it. I've cut apple slices and mixed with sugar and frozen that too, in plastic bags. I've made pie and apple coffee cake. Tonight we had chicken with apples n'onions. We slice up raw apples and add to salads (especially good with spinach). I even sauteed some apple slices with beet greens. That was good mixed with sour cream.

My goal next year is to work on that the Macintosh tree to prune and spray properly. I like that variety the best for both eating and cooking.