Throwback Apple Processing

My oldest son and his wife have two apple trees in their yard.  One is an eating apple and the other is a soft, tart cooking apple.  Each fall there are more apples than they know what to do with so they share.  These are organic apples, meaning they are never sprayed with chemical; however, they have been snacked upon by all sorts of bugs.  The apples are ugly, but the favor is very good; one just needs to work with them.

See all the spots, yup these are organic apples

Approximately 30 years ago I was inundated each fall with too many ugly apples.  Over time I figured out two things to do with them that the family enjoyed.  Applesauce was a hit, but I cut corners in making it.  Instead of all the peeling, coring and slicing they were merely quartered and then put on the stove to slowly cook until soft.

So easy to prepare

Partially cooked

Ready to separte the good from the pulp

After the mixture cooled in the past it was put through a cone-shaped colander.  I did not enjoy circling the mixture round and round to separate the apple ¨meat" from the seeds and peels.  It seemed to take forever.  The colander is long gone so a substitute had to be found, a potato ricer.  Mom gave it to me some time ago and I gave it a try.

The potato ricer

It is so much more efficient than the colander.  The ricing has to be done in the sink because every now and then sauce splashes out unexpectedly.  Here is the unsweetened product.  Back in the day it was dried into an apple leather, today it is distributed to those who will use it.

The finished sauce

The other thing I did in the past was make apple pie in a jar.  Essentially the pie, except for the crust, is placed in a canning jar.  The upside is that the spices, sugar and apples sit together for as long as the jar sits meaning the pie has a magnificent flavor.

In the past there were two young sons who loved to use an apple corer, peeler and slicer.  It fascinated them and for a few minutes I could count on their help.

Thirty years later I don´t have this piece of equipment, but actually with the apples I am using now it wouldn´t have worked.  The apples are too irregular.  After an hour or so of peeling and slicing, 3 quarts of apple pie in a jar were ready to go, using the recipe above I made a 1/2 batch of the goo.  Then the jars went into a hot water bath and ta da:

The quart is actually a 9"pie; the pint would make a small galette

Last evening I took a quart of pie and a large bottle of applesauce to my son and his wife, the apple purveyors.  My son was so pleased to get both; he went on about the apple leather made from this applesauce and how he would love to make a pie soon.  That reaction was heartwarming.  It indicates how much he enjoyed these things as a kid and how much he looks forward to having them again.  And guess what, I came home with another half bushel to process!