When we first moved to this farm about 2o years ago, there were three apple trees in a clearing up a steep and long hill behind the house. These trees served us well for years, and I know they had been there for years and years. They are no longer there, having succumbed to age and weather. We do have a few wild apple trees around this 207 acre property, but none of them are all that great tasting. However, I have a neighbor that has a small, diverse orchard in her front yard...and she is the most generous person I believe I know. Her apples are prolific this year...and she invites anyone to come pick. Many people have taken her up on this offer, and despite several gleanings, her orchard looks nearly untouched.
The apple on the right is a very large Honey-crisp (not from my neighbor's) and I mean it is large, the apple on the left is a Wolf River apple, and it is gigantic. She does have Wolf River trees.
I have made applesauce twice now, and canned it both times, knowing that in the winter this is going to be a real treat!
Steamed and mashed apples with the addition of a bit of honey as a sweetener....
...filling the jars...
...ready for storage...
I must say I cannot get all the apples still in her orchard out of my mind, not wanting them to go to waste, feeling that I must collect them and can some more. I know this is a bit 'mad' as we truly do not need anymore, but still the thought haunts me.
We have had several pies, I have dried several quarts of apples, I will freeze some apple slices for winter baking, and still there are countless apples.
How blessed we are for such bounty and the time and desire to preserve. I feel my grandmother, aunts and mother 'standing' alongside me. I feel their presence and recall with great fondness and gratitude all of the days of my youth when I stood alongside them as they preserved their bounty!
3 comments:
Homemade applesauce is our favorite thing to make at our house. We have a wolf River apple tree in our yard, but unfortunately it has never produced fruit...lack of sunlight I think!
We enjoy our applesauce with grilled cheese sandwiches, or served with cooked oatmeal or on top of homemade pancakes. I just started adding applesauce to our homemade yogurt....delicious! I learned to make applesauce from my mother. Chunky sauce is our favorite.
Hope all is well in the Kickapoo River Valley.
Ah, chunky is our favorite as well. I, too, like it with yogurt...and sometimes with butternut squash. Freddie likes his warm, with cinnamon. Too bad about your Wolf River tree, I love Wolf River apples.
Joanne, reading your last few posts has given me a good, fresh appetite. Wish I could sample your pictures. It was nice to hear you on WDRT, Who's in the Kitchen. I only heard the first half, but it was so sweet to hear you and Philothea talking about cooking. You're both such great cooks.
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