I'm not joking. We don't have an apple tree -- but a friend asked me (knowing that I can anything that doesn't move too fast!) if I'd like some apples from their tree. Of course, being raised to believe that any free food is good food, I quickly agreed. Big mistake number one.

After a few days, with no apples showing up, I happened to be talking to another friend, who mentioned that she didn't have time to pick the apples from her single city-lot tree and I was welcome to them if I could come and pick them. I agreed. Big mistake number two.

Well, the boys and I took off to pick apples on Friday morning. We arrived home, victorious, with five HUGE bags full of apples in the back of the truck. I literally danced into the house, imagining the apple jelly and applesauce -- only to be confronted with --- more apples. Our first friend had arrived that day with apples. Not just SOME apples -- apparently the entire bumper crop from his two large trees.

I was suddenly faced with a task so daunting, I just wanted to sit down and laugh -- or cry. But, I now have 20 pints of apple jelly on my shelves, and 20 quarts of applesauce -- and that is only half the apples. The rest I will make into more applesauce for friends and family, as I don't think I could possibly justify more jelly...

Anyone else having to deal with an unexpected bumper crop??? Anyone got any ideas on how I could preserve the remaining 50-60 lbs of apples? Any and all ideas are welcome!!!!

-- Tracy (trimmer@westzone.com), August 20, 2000

Answers

Dry them! Dried apples make great healthy snacks, and you can chop them up into your granola or muesli. I see a lot of food dryers for cheap at Goodwills & thrift stores, or you may live in a place with actual, measurable sunfall...

-- snoozy (allen@oz.net), August 20, 2000.

Make apple butter. My wife has cooked a turkey roaster-full in the oven or done several smaller batches in the crock-pot. She has yet to find an apple butter to buy that she likes so only makes her own. I'll post the recipe if you want it.

How about canning some apple pie filling?

-- Vaughn (vdcjm5@juno.com), August 20, 2000.

We love homecanned apple pie filling. I fill a 22 quart stock pot 3/4 full of sliced apples. Add flour (for thickening) sugar (varies according to taste and how sweet the apples are) and oil of cinnamon. I prefer the oil because the flavor doesn't cook out and it doesn't color the apples. Add a small amount of water. When the apples have cooked down some, adjust the sugar, cinnamon and flour, then can in a water bath. Not only is it great for pies, we have served the apples on toast, in sandwiches, over ice cream, added a topping for a crunch or just ate the filling out of a bowl like applesauce. I'm getting very hungry now.

-- Cheryl Cox (bramblecottage@hotmail.com), August 20, 2000.

Vaughn -- I'd love the apple butter recipe. Cheryl -- thanks --I'm going to try some pie filling....

And next time someone asks me if I want free produce I think I'll make sure they don't mean the whole crop....

-- Tracy (trimmer@westzone.com), August 20, 2000.

Applesauce and applebutter are nice because you don't have to peel or core the apples (which is probably the part you are loathing by now). Last year, confronted by several trees' worth of apples, I also put up many quarts of pared-in-light-syrup apples, and they were very handy for baking throughout the year. I had all that you mentioned and more, and was all out of apple anything by January. Spinach lasts forever, but fruit and jam fly out the window!

Today, I had both sides of my kitchen sink heaped with pole beans. We ate green beans for dinner. I processed beans for hours.

Like you, I am doing the enjoyable part now. Watching the jars cool!

-- Rachel (rldk@hotmail.com), August 20, 2000.

Timely! Between my neighbor and I, we have huge trees loaded with apples...I can't even imagine how many bushels as I have never seen the trees so loaded (and in "off" years, my neighbor calls the gleaners to come pick what she can't use!).

We are going to make the apple cider press that Steve showed in the latest Countryside! And then we are going to make cider (reg and hard, even) with all these apples (geat time saver! Thanks Steve!!!!) My husband is psyched and has the lumber assembled already. AND yippee! My magazine is here, only 9 days after the first post (8/10) so it's not 3 weeks this time, only a little over a week that we got our issue later than others!

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), August 20, 2000.

We dont have any bearing trees yet either, but my neighbors pastures are full of trees. We go with 5 gallon buckets and get 20 or more buckets. I usually can about 60-80 quarts of applesauce. I think it is easiest to quarter the apples(incase of worms) and cook them until soft then run through the colander/food mill. Cows love the core/peels/muck that is left over.

I also peel and can slices for pies or crisp. I dont make the filling, but wait to add the extra ingrediants when I am baking it.

We also dry about 10 batches of sliced apples. It really helps if you have a slicer gadget. My mother bought a 'ronco' dehydrater it came with a slicer. She gave it to me and it makes consistent slices and is much easier than trying to cut them with a knife. I have seen them at Goodwill and garage sales too. I also leave the peelings on (I never peel anything unless I absolutely have to) and sprinkle them with cinnamon and sugar.

Good luck with your windfall, I havent started yet this year.

Tami in WI

-- Tami Bowser (windridg@chorus.net), August 21, 2000.

Hi Tracy, Apple butter and pie filling would be my choices also.[I've dried apples too but only small amounts for use in natural potpourri.]

Tomorrow I'll be canning tomatoes-lots and lots of them!Needless to say,I am not looking forward to it.(I've already canned a bunch,and I'm tired of canning.)I definitely have a love/hate relationship with canning-at times anyways.Of course,when I think of how greatly we've been blessed this year with our garden,I am thankful.A couple days of hectic canning and loads of jars of organically grown tomatoes for the winter!Mmm,I can just about imagine the taste of that chili and cornbread on a cold and drear winter day...

Just think of all that applesauce!Jelly on hot,homemade bread and fluffy biscuits!Apple pie!Spicy,sweet apple butter on toast,etc.etc.etc...

Blessings, ~~~Tracy~~~

-- Tracy Jo Neff (tntneff@ifriendly.com), August 21, 2000.

Apple gooey: Peel apples, core and chunk apples. Put in dutch oven or other large pan. Add a little water to keep from sticking. When almost soft, add raisins, cinnamon and honey, cook til soft but not mushy, freeze. You could also can this, following applesauce times. I'm famous for this among children: Chunky applesauce Peel apples, core, add a little water, cook til semi-soft but not mushy, add honey and cinnamon maybe a little nutmeg, redhots, process qts. 20 minutes in hot water bath. Enjoy!

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), August 21, 2000.

MMMMM!! Pie filling! Apple butter! Send some my way! I'll put them up for ya!

-- Misha (MishaaE@aol.com), August 21, 2000.

Here is the apple butter recipe:

8 Cups applesause

4 Cups sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. allspice

1/2 tsp. cloves (ground)

Mix ingredients, put in a large roasting pan. Bake at 250 degrees until desired thickness. Put in pint jars and process in a boiling water bath 10 min.

You can halve the recipe if you want a smaller batch. I've also cooked it in a crock pot without the lid. Doesn't heat up the house as much. One added plus is you can freeze the applesause and then make the apple butter when it is cooler and/or you have more time.

The butter will thicken a little as it cools so if you want to check the thickness put a spoonful in the refrig. for a little while to see how it sets up when cool.

Now all you need is a fresh, warm slice of homemade bread! YUM

-- Vaughn (vdcjm5@juno.com), August 21, 2000.

Are they summer apples? If they are the keeper type, why not pack all the unbruiised ones away, carefully, and put them in the basement or someplace similar for fresh eating or use later on? If they are summer apples they have to be used up or put up. I like to leave the peels on for applesauce, they are good fiber, and some varieties will give the sauce a beautiful pink color if you do this. Those crank type apple peeler/slicer/corer gadgets are wonderful, and really shorten the work time. Kids love to use them! They make a big long apple spiral, you can compress it back into an apple shape, slice once down the center, and voila, a bunch of apple slices ready for drying!

-- Rebekah (daniel1@transport.com), August 25, 2000.

Are they summer apples? If they are the keeper type, why not pack all the unbruiised ones away, carefully, and put them in the basement or someplace similar for fresh eating or use later on? If they are summer apples they have to be used up or put up. I like to leave the peels on for applesauce, they are good fiber, and some varieties will give the sauce a beautiful pink color if you do this. Those crank type apple peeler/slicer/corer gadgets are wonderful, and really shorten the work time. Kids love to use them! They make a big long apple spiral, you can compress it back into an apple shape, slice once down the center, and voila, a bunch of apple slices ready for drying! But if they are summer apples, my inclination would be to can up a few, and feed the wormy ones to the goats, horses,etc. Then when the keeper apples get ripe, you can store those as they are and can up any that are bruised or wormy. The fall apples have a nicer flavor and texture.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@transport.com), August 25, 2000.

Got a man around your house into wine making? Whenever Lynn ends up with bumper crops like that, she sends me to the wine room. A blend of dry apple wine and strawberry, balanced toward an apertif aproxximate the flavor of the Boones' variety.

-- Jay Blair (jayblair678@yahoo.com), August 27, 2000.