Harvesting Your Apples: and Anyone Else’s for that Matter

Posted by Cathy England
September 11th, 2009
Filed in Fruits, Veggies and Herbs
Tags: apples, canning, harvest, recipes

As September gets into full swing, so does apple season.  This is an exciting time of year as apples become abundant, and harvesting your apples from your own orchard (or someone else’s), brings pies, cobblers, and crisps to your table on a regular basis.  It is a bittersweet time of year as well, because it signals the end of summer and the abundance of all of the crops that you have been able to grow throughout the summer. 

The great thing about apples is that with a bit of knowledge and a few tips, your apple season can last well into next year.  So, when a neighbor or friend asks if you want a few bags of apples that they cannot use, shout “Yes!“, knowing that you can use as many of them that you can get.

How to Preserve Your Apple Harvest

There are a number of different ways to preserve the apple harvest that goes beyond fresh eating and baking.  Let there be no confusion, fresh eating and baking have their merits, but are often short lived.  So, when you have five bushels of apples staring you down, what can you do?

• Freezing – If you enjoy pies, cobblers, breads and muffins, bake your favorite apple recipes, then freeze for later use.  Items can be removed from the freezer in the following months and enjoyed at a time when baking with store bought apples would be expensive and tasteless.  Apples can also be peeled, cored and sliced, then thrown into a freezer bag for use later on in the year.
• Canning – There are countless ways to preserve apples through canning.  Any online search or canning recipe book can offer ideas on how to do this.  Two of the easiest ways to can apples however, are by making applesauce and apple butter.  (See recipes below)
• Drying – An electric food dehydrator is a wonderful tool during apple season.  Apples can be dried into leather, chips, chewy rings and chunks.  Dried fruit leather is easy to make and is a crowd-pleaser among the under 12 set.  Apple chips are thinly cut apples dried until crisp, while thicker slices will produce chewy rings for snacking.  Small chunks can be dried for later use in oatmeal or homemade granola.
• Long Term Storage – Nature works in miraculous ways.  The same is true when it comes to apples.  Early ripening varieties are usually best for cooking and fresh eating, while later maturing varieties are best for storage in root cellars or refrigerators.   Many late varieties are harvested in October, and can keep whole for 4 to 5 months.  Apples are ideally stored in temperatures between 30 and 32 degrees.  Insulated foam coolers work well as storage containers for newspaper wrapped apples.  An unheated basement, attic or garage can work as a makeshift root cellar if you do not have one.  In addition to proper temperature, apples also need air circulation and humidity to keep well.  More information about cultivars and their ideal usage, read here
  

Easy Applesauce and Apple Butter Recipes

Applesauce - Peel, core and cut apples into wedges.  Place in a stockpot with enough water to cover halfway.  Turn heat to medium, and use a potato masher to mash apples as they soften.  Allow to cook to desired consistency, add sugar to taste.  Ladle hot sauce into pint jars with 1/2 inch head space.  Tighten lids to fingertip tightness.  Boil in hot water canner for 30 minutes with water at least two inches over the top of the jars.  Remove jars and allow to sit until sealed.

Apple Butter – Peel, core and slice apples.  Place in food processor and puree until fine.  Add brown sugar and place into a dutch oven, crockpot, or cast iron stockpot.  Cook mixture at a low temperature, stirring occasionally until apple butter darkens, and rounds up on a spoon.  This usually requires 3 to 4 hours.  When desired consistency is achieved, ladle into jars, cover, and process for 30 minutes.