Apple Mania

We have gone apple picking every fall since we've lived here. It's a fun way to get out of town and get some really yummy apples. We usually go to a pick-your-own orchard and spend a ridiculous amount of money of apples but have a really fun time.

Last year was the first year I made applesauce and we went back to the orchard twice to get more apples. This year we decided that we needed to find a way to get a ton for a way better deal. We found the perfect place, Richard's Orchard. They have a huge selection of pre-picked apples. Their seconds were half the price of what we paid last year. We were amazed at just how great the seconds were. I don't think we'll ever buy "firsts" again.

We ended up getting seven bushels. A bushel is about 40 lbs. I probably would have gotten 3 or 4 had I gone alone, but in true Fillmore fashion, more is better and usually the right amount. We got a selection of Fugi, Golden Delicious, and York. All perfect for sauce.

 

The boys loved the whole thing. They also had a darling market where we picked up a few pumpkins as well. The boys eating their first of many apples that day. 

I use to be pretty stressed about babies eating apples but Gouverneur is a pro. Plus, the boy is addicted to apples. Not a bad addiction to have.

 We put the boys to bed that evening and sorted them all. In all seven bushels there were only 3 or 4 that we threw out because they were bad.

Here is a picture of why some of these apples are seconds. The skin discoloration makes them less desirable. The flavor is amazing and perfect for eating or sauce.

Here is what I did all week, prepared batches to go into the crockpot. I crockpot my applesauce for 5-6 hours and then bottle it. We bought 2 additional crockpots this year to speed it up. I add cinnamon and nutmeg to my sauce. It gives it a real golden color and tastes delicious. I don't add any sugar and they are plenty sweet since they cook down for so long

 

Here is a close-up of the finished product.

 

Here the boys are with all the finished sauce. We ended up with 63 quarts. Seems like a lot, but with 5 boys in the house, I hope it's enough!

Until we have apple trees of our own, I think we'll be buying seconds. I'll still amazed that they were such a good deal. Thank you Richard's Orchard!