We almost did not do apples this year, but the children were upset with that idea. So yesterday we bought seven (!!) bushels of windfall apples at a local orchard and set to work.
One person washed and disinfected the apples with a bleach solution (they had been on the ground, remember), and then rinsed them. The two Little Misses, dressed in sturdy aprons, were very good at this job.
We had a chopping station at the kitchen table. For pies and crisps we cored the apples, cut out any bruises, and cut off the peel near both the stem and the flower end of the apple, where it’s very hard to clean properly. Then we sliced them and tossed them with lemon juice before freezing. (Since most of the apples were bruised, our corer-peeler would not work and we did all this work by hand.)
For sauce, we quartered the apples, cut out any bruises, and cut off the peel near the core and the flower end of the apple. Then we cooked them in heavy-bottomed pans with a bit of water, core, peel, and all. We also used a thin-bottomed pan with a steamer in it to keep the apples from touching the bottom of the pan and scorching. When the apples were soft and puffy, we passed them through our food mill. After that they needed to cool a bit before we bagged them for the freezer, and that was it.
After many hours of work, all the apples were safely stowed in our freezers. By then the floor was sprinkled with apple leaves, cores, and seeds; and the counters, stove, and table were sticky with sauce and covered with bowls, pans, knives, and cutting boards. We were all tired, and the chickens and ducks were full of rejected apple bits.
The cleanup was the last hurdle, and after many hours of work and chatter, the six of us had processed—in one day—
apple slices for 53 pies or crisps
and
89 litres of apple sauce
Wow!! I am so amazed at my children!
I’m proud of you guys and very thankful you all. You showed great character yesterday, each in your own way. God bless each of you.
WOW..AND TO THINK THAT YOU ALMOST WERENT GOING TO DO ANY. I THINK YOUR KIDS WERE FANTASTIC.LEENA
Fabulous! Well done! All the eaten still to be done – you'll be glad every time you get the next packet out. Very impressed!
Sarah
Thanks for your visit. I just added you to my friends too. I follow you via google reader which makes life very easy and I don't miss any posts – just have to click over if I want to comment.
God bless!
Sarah
That is alot of work. We have never picked apples before but it really something we should try as a family.
Blessings
Diane
Great job! Sounds like the kind of job that could bring about some great "bonding" time too. You are teaching them great skills to use later in life. (Unlike science, which most will not use much once they are out of school.)
That kind of job sounds completely overwhelming. Congratulations on doing it all. We picked organic cherries this year but not nearly as many. It was still a huge job processing them all in the middle of caring for the preschoolers and toddler. But what a joy to have frozen produce ready for the winter months.
Laraba
Yes, it was a memory building time, Stacy. 🙂
Don't forget, Laraba, our youngest is 7. That makes an enormous difference! She was even able to help, and I was the only one who needed to go down for a nap.
Annie Kate
AnnieKate,
It's so funny that you and I were picking apples on the same day! Isn't that great? It sounds like you had just as much fun as we did.
I must admit, you all are much faster at processing applesauce and so forth than I.
I am slow as southern molasses.
Bless you and yours,
It's neat that you do those review for TOS. Cool! Can you make a buck doing that?
Also, we get Nature Friend magazine too and just LOVE it. We wait and wait for it. Another neat thing we have in common.
Shannon,
JoyfulHeart4Him
Yes, Shannon, the apple day was quite something. It's only due to the kids that we got so much done, though!
I enjoy reviewing for the TOS Homeschool Crew. I don't make any money at it, but do get to sample a lot of neat curriculum, learn about reviewing, meet a lot of great people, and learn more about blogging. Hopefully I also can make a difference in the lives and learning of other homeschooling families.
And who knows where this may lead?
Annie Kate