The first September we lived here I have absolutely no recollection of what happened to the apples. We moved in during the month of September so perhaps the previous owners had taken the apples with them? Was it because I was pregnant and tired that I didn't pay attention to the apples? I don't know.
Last year at this time I think we picked apples up off the ground once they had fallen off the tree, and we probably ate a few. Bailey the dog ate A LOT...I won't go in to how I know that. And then there was the rat-in-the-tree incident that scarred Samantha for at least a few months, and still haunts me to this day. So yeah, I remember apples last year.
This year I was determined to be a good steward of the tree we had inherited. It was exploding with apples and I didn't want the dog or rat episodes from last year to repeat themselves. Some helpful friends on Facebook directed me to Home Depot and I bought a $40 apple picking device. How rural of me.
And a couple weeks ago we picked apples. Man did we pick apples!
We even bought this fabulous thingy that spins and peels and cores the apples,
leaving them in a perfectly cut spiral.
It's really fun, and easy enough for a 4 year old to do it independently.
This invention mesmerizes children and adults alike.
Come on over and I'll let you try it. You'll have a great time.
Abby even gave it a shot.
I decided applesauce was the most practical end for these apples
because all four members of my household eat applesauce like nobody's business.
We made a pie too.
Mostly because I am in my thirties and I'd never made an apple pie before
...which felt wrong somehow.
The fruits of our labor. Literally.
Chris, Abby and I have enjoyed our applesauce.
We shared our applesauce with friends too.
We shared our applesauce with friends too.
I will probably be making more soon as this tree is seriously out of control.
But did Samantha enjoy the gloriousness of homemade applesauce
...created from the tree she plays under every day
...made with the efforts of her own skinny little arms?
No, she gave me SASS and insisted on eating this applesauce.
...which I was very annoyed to find in the back of my refrigerator
while making room for the cans of homemade sauce.
What can you do?
I'm sure there are some things I would prefer store bought to homemade too.
Toll House cookie dough cookies comes to mind.
The applesauce recipe I used is super simple and can be found HERE.
I used less sugar, and one batch without any sugar.
Mmm, mmm, mmm.
