A few weeks ago we went apple picking. Apple picking is one of those "events" or traditions that we always find time to squeeze in. Brad and I have been apple picking every fall since we have been married. The thought of munching on apples in the orchard, the clean, cool air, and the smell of the warm apple crisp that comes fresh out of the oven that evening pulls us there every year.
In recent years though I have realized that the build up of it all does not necessarily hold up to the actual event...Now apple picking is less leisure and more planning. It tends to be carefully planned around naps, snack breaks and how to best avoid crazy crowds. At the end of the day everyone is tired and has a little bit of wind/sun burn on their faces. So when I think back on the day I sometimes wonder if it was all worth it...and the answer is...YES! Of course it was worth it. Despite the grumps and crowds we do always have fun. To watch the joyful curiosity of children plucking apples off of the tree, to watch little faces and hands carefully helping to make apple crisp, these are the things that pull me toward apple picking and the orchards now.
I do admit that every year I tend to go a bit over board on the amount of apples that we pick...this year was a particularly large "harvest"! But, I had a plan...make applesauce! Several months ago the topic of making applesauce somehow came up...and so I was on a mission! I had never made applesauce before and while everyone kept telling me it was easy, I was skeptical. We finally got around to making some applesacue this weekend and it turns out it really is EASY! I don't have any special tools for applesauce making I simply used a paring knife, an apple corer and some small mason jars I had on hand. So, how to make applesauce this way...wash, peel, core, cook in a small amount of water for a while...That is it.
I walked away from the stove for a little bit and when I came back...applesauce! Or, almost applesauce. It was sort of like magic. I used my immersion blender to smooth it up all the way and then, applesauce. The taste of warm, just homemade applesauce is amazing, a yummy snack. After the applesauce cooled we loaded it up into our mason jars and into the freezer.
We still have a ton of apples left, more applesauce, apple crisp, more snacking...So, yes, indeed we will be back at the orchard again next year, but I might have to get one of those all in one peeler/corer/slicers if we plan we make applesauce again, because my hands were a bit sore.
