Season of Apples

Here in New Hampshire, it's apple season.... apples apples everywhere. There's no shortage anywhere you go. An orchard in every town (at least in southwest NH!), with rows and rows of PYO (pick your own) apples! We have been to one of the larger orchards around here several times already this season, and the kids have a school fieldtrip there this Friday. I'm sure we will go at least one more time before the season ends. It helps that on weekends, there are non-stop tractor and hayrides around the orchard, a playground, wine tastings, music, and bbq (every weekend!). It's hard to bring the kids there myself (actually, completely impossible), as Josh loves to ride the tractor ride, and eliana LOVES to pick and eat apples.

Actually, i need to stop a minute and tell everyone how much Josh absolutely has a love affair with apples. A while back when Josh started using more words, he learned he also loves apple sauce and slices. And, it seemed that whenever Josh would consume something he really liked, it was always say "Apple!" ..... "no, honey, it's not apple" would be a comment phrase used. Anyway, now he knows what an apple is. He gets a whole apple every day at school. His teachers, every day, say to me "he LOVES his apples! he eats the whole thing! just leaves a few seeds and the stem!". You know what they say "an apple a day...." Let's just say, as long as he will eat them, he will get them every day.

I digress... In any case, having either Josh scream because we need to get off the tractor, or Eliana scream because we need to stay on the tractor does not seem to make for a fun visit. I wait until family or friends visit to take them. When Matt gets back, we will be able to go.

Last year, I purchased a bushel of apples to make a years worth of apple sauce. We ran out a few months back, and I never got the amount I wanted. And the kids love it. And the kids are bigger this year than last (duh). So this year, I got 2 bushels.

Using one of those super handy apple core/slice combo things, core/slice all the apples and put them into a large pot. Add about 1/4 cup water, a little sugar (if needed), maybe 1/3 cup. Sprinkle around some cinnamon. Cook down on low heat, stirring occassionally until the apples are soft, falling apart and the peel comes off the slices on it's own.

When the apples are cooked down, I run them through the food grinder/strainer attachment on my Kitchen Aid. Thanks to my grandmother for purchasing the expensive piece of equipment and all the attachments that go with it. I haven't used the pasta maker or meat grinder yet, but I'm sure they will come in handy some day!

I put a large handful of hot cinnamon heart candy in the bottom of the bowl into which the hot apple sauce flows. They melt, and turn the sauce a hot reddish color.. gives great flavor too!

The large metal bowl is where the applesauce flowed.

The skin and other parts went into the bowl that was in the sink.

I must say that my chickens LOVED the random leftover bits from this applesauce making project! They couldn't get enough, though there was too much to give to them, so my compost pile received the rest of it.

When I was done with this project, I had a huge quantity of apple sauce. I froze it all in yogurt and cottage cheese containers I keep when we are done with them. The entire door of the deep freeze in the basement is full of sauce! Definitely enough for next year.

My kids love to dip everything in applesauce, and so do I! Our favorite meal is cornflake coated chicken thighs. I make it often, and chicken for that meal is the only meat I buy at the grocery store! Hope next year we will get some meat chickens and be able to butcher our own poultry, but That's a project for next year (or the year after). Anywho, that's the story of apple sauce! Oh! I've also made some really yummy dehydrated apple chips and ofcourse apple crisp. But I'll spare you the details of those- plus I didn't take any photos!