The Apple Report

I'm pleased to report good progress on the apples. I've made:

• three batches of crockpot applesauce--this is an absolutely stellar way to use up apples.  Four pounds of cut up, partially peeled apples, a quarter cup of sugar, some cinnamon, and a couple ounces of water. Let it go on low for several hours, stirring occasionally. I got about six cups of finished applesauce. This last batch I left a little chunkier than the previous two for a special purpose. More about that later this week. 
• one batch of roasted apple butter--seven cut up, thoroughly peeled apples and a cup and a half of unsweetened apple juice. Roast at 450 degrees for half an hour. Mash the apples and continue to roast at 350 degrees until thick and brown, stirring occasionally. This is not something I'll be doing again. For one thing, leaving my oven on for hours is not something I like to do often. Also, it made a huge mess of the pan. As the apples reduce, they take up less space, so the little bits left on the sides of the pan get VERY black. The pan is soaking in the sink, and I know it'll come clean, but it's a definite negative aspect. Sarah had the apple butter on her toast this morning, and did like it, but it seemed like a lot of work for not a lot of product (direct opposite of the crockpot applesauce). 
• one apple crisp--about three cups of cut up, peeled apples, 1/4 cup sugar, and a dash of cinnamon in a baking dish.  Mix 3/4 cup each of flour and oatmeal with 1/3 cup of brown sugar, then cut in half a cup of cold butter, cut into pieces. Sprinkle over the top of the apples and bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes. Delicious, but the calorie count is a little high.
• we've all been eating raw apples quite a bit. I'd say I have one on most days.. Can't beat that!

 We still have a fair number of apples left, but they're the smaller ones. If I have to peel apples, I'd rather do 10 big ones than 20 small ones. I think for our last production, I'll get out the hand crank peeler, since I want uniformly peeled and sliced pieces. Someone mentioned on a previous post "cake in a jar." My mom has done that in the past, and really liked the results. We have an apple cake recipe from my grandma that we really like. Sarah & I dug out all my canning jars this morning. I have about six wide mouth pint jars, and about 600 (or so it seems) wide mouth half-pint jars. I need to buy more lids, and we'll give it a go tonight or (more likely) tomorrow. I'm hoping they turn out well enough to give as part of Christmas goodie packs.

I did have to throw four or five apples away (a couple felt like grenades, ready to explode and barely held together by their skins. Gross). I also had to cut away some bruises, but for the most part, there's been fairly little waste from this year's orchard trip.