How I am using and preserving my apple crop this year

As you would have seen recently from my Facebook post, we picked a great heap of apples this year. I have tried over the last couple of years to store as many as possible in the “beer” fridge (much to the disgust of my significant other), but they have not kept at all well and most of them finish up in the compost. As we have gone to all the trouble to look after the trees and net them so we can get some fruit, it would be a shame not to find uses for this bounty.

So this is what I have been doing with my crop throughout the apple season this year:

–          Firstly, anyone that comes near the house is not allowed to leave without taking a dozen apples – mandatory I am afraid.

–          Each morning I have been juicing a couple– absolutely fabulous as just apple juice, but I also add carrot and beetroot to get a bigger nutritional hit.

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–          Every two or three days I use the juice of two apples and grate another two to make Bircher muesli.

–          I have tried juicing the apples and adding lemon juice to stop oxidation, but it still goes brown and does not keep all that well. Better to juice the stored fruit fresh each day.

–          I am making and freezing apple crumble, apple pies, stewed apples and apple sauce. But with limited freezer space I have only used about half the crop this way.

–          I am also going to try storing the apples wrapped individually in newspaper, put into boxes and then kept in a cool dark spot – They need to be wrapped individually as the ethylene gas apples produce reduces their shelf life, however when wrapped this does not happen as quickly. We will see.

So far these methods have used up probably 2/3 of the picked crop and there is still one more tree to pick. I need to find more ways to preserve the rest. Please let me know your favourite apple recipe or preserve!

Next year I think I will try making apple cider and apple cider vinegar. If your have made either of these, please send a recipe and let me know how it went.

 

These apples have been lightly stewed and then put into containers ready for freezing

These apples have been lightly stewed and then put into containers ready for freezing

apple pies freeze exceptionally well

apple pies freeze exceptionally well

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Happy gardening,
Kathy