Adventures with Apples

Or this post could be titled- How I spent my Saturday, Why I love Ethan (and Jeff), Two "Firsts", or How many apples does it take to make one pint of applesauce?


It all started with Ethan. For Johnny Appleseed day his class all brought in apples and did various activities with them. One such activity was making applesauce. Ethan doesn't Ethan like applesauce, but this apparently was so delicious that he ate his portion all gone. He even went so far as to get the recipe from his teacher. And I his fabulous mother was going to make it for him. In comes my in-laws who were going to go pick apples at an orchard. Would I like some? Well, I suppose I really should make Ethan some applesauce, and maybe a pie for Jeff; plus my kids devour whole and sliced apples for snacks- so sure- bring me a box.


Do you know how many apples are in a box? LOTS. So we ate some and the rest waited for two weeks until I had a few hours to get crackin' on some serious applesauce making. Which brings me to yesterday. About noon I had this brilliant idea that it would be fun to make it. Afterall, I had already cut the boys' hair, showered, and supervised the meticulous cleaning of two kid rooms. And the laundry, vacuuming, and dishes were already done! I know; it must be some kind of record. So we headed out to get the canning supplies needed from the in-laws to get this party started.


The real fun begins at 2:30. Lots of peeling, chopping and preparing apples. Lots of apples. In the midst of this I think it might be a good idea to make pie filling too. And freeze enough for a few pies. Afterall, if I am going to all this work I might as well have some to enjoy later too. So more peeling, chopping and preparing. Cooking- lots of sticky. Pie filling ready. Grab the premade pie crust out of the freezer, but no- it is way too old and is not thawing and unrolling. So after all this I shall become super domesticate and make my own double pie crust too. I know- all these skills! Pie is cooked- makes a nice mess in the bottom of the oven (note- next time put a cookie sheet under the pie to catch runaway goo), but looks good. Tastes even better! This is a picture of my very first apple pie- and the goo isn't even running out everywhere.


Are you tired yet?? Because I still have to make and process two batches of applesauce! It goes smoothly. And through the aching feet, sore back and arms I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. It is now 8:00pm and the last batch is out of the processor! We have 12 lovely pints of applesauce from about 50 apples. So that works out to about 4.166 apples per pint for all of you dying to know. The results- Ethan says the best applesauce ever, a messy kitchen, one tired mom, and two proud firsts. Canning something all by myself and making an apple pie. I had watched and assisted my mom as a youth in canning all sorts of things- tomatoes, peaches, chili sauce, but have never ventured out there on my own. And I have made lots of pies and pie crust (another skill I learned as a child by helping my mom make pies for every Thanksgiving), just never an apple. So there you have it. I am tired, and don't know if I'll be doing it again soon, but I do have a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that I didn't have before. And no more apples in a box waiting for me! Yeah!