Here in our neck of the woods, it's apple season. I know that it seems like a strange time to be harvesting apples in the middle of summer, but no one said our apple tree was normal. The fact is, our tree bears a huge crop of apples every summer and a tiny crop in the fall. Our tree is really big too. We use various methods to pick the apples. Climbing on the ladder, a fruit picker, and if all else fails....Don will shake all the branches. I hate when he does that. Have you ever been knocked in the head by falling apples because you husband decides to shake the tree before he warns you....Ouch!!
Here's a little of our crop. We bag up a bunch and give them to family, friends and neighbors....frankly anyone who will take them!! Then we take a few large boxes to the homeless shelter downtown. They give out free lunches and some fresh fruit is always appreciated.
Next we start on the apple pie process. We make the pie crust weeks before when we have time and freeze it. We have found this works out the best for us. We buy lots of cheap pie pans and make a bottom crust in those first. It takes all day to do this and it works out in our assembly later on. We usually freeze anywhere from 12 to 20 apple pies a season. We have those to use for pot lucks or when hungry looking sons come home and take them back to San Diego!
Don is in charge of the apple peeling. This is our second peeler. We wore out the first one several years ago! This one is from Pampered Chef and it seems to be working out.
Our apples are sometimes very odd shaped so we get some skin left on the top. Our dog, Sydney used to love to get some of this for a treat. Now we put it in the compost.
I mix up some flour, sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice in a big bowl.
Next we put in about 8 cups of sliced apples and mix it up really good. We pour that into the pie shell and the first pie is almost done!
Put the top on and press it down and it's ready to freeze. We do this 10-12 more times and we are done for the day. What a way to spend a Saturday afternoon....whew! We just make enough to put two on each shelf of the freezer. We have to wait until they freeze through to stack them. We will make more next weekend. All we have to do is wait for the peaches to ripen and we will be making peach pies too! Oh we are pretty exciting people on summer Saturdays!
13 comments:
Wowza! That's a lot of apple pie goodness! How great to have a fresh, hot apple pie throughout the summer and in the winter...and peach pie, too! Yum!!!!
XOXO,
Cyndi
what fun!!! I would love to have an apple tree. We had to take out our summer fruit trees when we put in the sport court a few years ago. I miss my peaches, plums, nectarines, and apricots!!!
YUM! That looks so good. I miss having my own kitchen as I love to bake during the holiday season.
Your pie is beautiful and yum is right! We use to have an apple and cherry tree! They make wonderful pies.
I stopped in to visit your blog from another one and will visit again. I became a follower.
I started a blog 1 month ago and having fun with it. Save a piece of pie--for me! Carolyn from Des Moines, Iowa
Wow, that's a lot of apples, and I bet the pie is delicious. We have some apples on a small tree, they are getting quite big but how do you know when they are actually ready?
wow those apples look great............we have one of those slinkies too.......the kids love it.......
Yep, those apples look fantastic! Yum yum. The peeler/corer/slicers are great, make fast work of a sticky slow job. The pie looks very yummy....
Love your photos, beautiful!
I'm surprised you get apples so early. They look great though, and there's nothing wrong with a being (albeit a woody one) doing its own thing as long as it's not hurting anybody:).
Love apple pie. Man do you ever have a lot of apples there. I just bought one of those peelers from Pampered Chef. There great.
Oooh, I wish I had an apple tree. Your pies look amazing!
Your apples look wonderful (they are making me hungry). I think it's great your tree produces fruit in the summer. By the time summer hits here I am craving fresh grown apples.
Your pie looks so good! How do you store them in the freezer? What preparation is needed to cook them? I would really love to do this!! NEED INPUT, PLEASE!!!
That looks wonderful! We don't get any till the end of Aug here on Long Island, NY.
What variety are they? I love to pick apples. I am on my second peeler too! I got new counters and now it doesn't fit, so I guess #3 is on the list!
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