Around this time every year I get overwhelming urges to harvest. Not necessarily because I really want the bounty, but because I'm in love with the idea of the activity. So this past weekend I dragged Beardy up to Kiyokawa Orchard near Hood River so I could spend about 15 minutes walking through the trees, removing the fruit with my own hands. And I would have spent more time doing it, except that in that time I'd already amassed 25 pounds of Golden Delicious apples, and had no real plan in store for them.Last year I spent about six hours making apple butter, which delivered 3 pints in the end - and although it was delicious, this time around I was looking for a better return for my time. I
got a hot tip on some Cheddar-Apple Scones, and wow. They are everything that I hoped they'd be. I'm not even going to bother sharing the recipe here since I followed it exactly from Smitten Kitchen, where it appeared slightly adapted from a book called The Perfect Finish, by White House executive pastry chef Bill Yosses. I've had a copy of this on my desk at work for months, and this recipe proves it warrants a closer look. These scones are the perfect blend of savory and sweet with a crispy-on-the-outside texture. I made three batches of dough, freezing two of them to bake later. Genius tip. So, that took care of three pounds.
Project #2: Applesauce. I've never delved into the sauce before, mainly because I didn't have a food mill. I took this opportunity to pick one up. I wanted to can it so I vowed to make a ton. I recently spent an evening making and canning salsa verde to emerge from the process with one lousy pint. Never again. If I am canning, there is going to be formidable volume. So, I tripled a recipe I found in my new go-to canning book, Put 'em Up, and started with 9 lbs. of apples and ended up with about six pints. This recipe was easy, especially appealing because it didn't involve peeling the fruit. And it's good. Real good.Homemade Applesauce (super-sized from Put 'em Up)
1 1/2 cups water
6 T bottled lemon juice
9 lbs apples, cored but not peeled (I used Golden Delicious)
1/4 cup sugar
1 T cinnamon
Mix the water and lemon juice, and pour it into the biggest pot you've got. Core the
apples, and coarsely chop them, adding them to the pot with the lemon water as you go, so the apples don't get brown. Heat on medium high, until the apples are bubbling vigoriously, then simmer until tender, stirring frequently. Pass the mixture through a food mill, then return to heat and add the sugar and cinnamon. Stir until sugar is dissolved, and remove from heat. This is where I canned the sauce, using the boiling-water method, but it's good in the fridge for five days, and frozen for up to six months. If going that route, allow the sauce to cool before refrigerating/freezing.Twelve pounds of apples down, thirteen left staring me in the face. Thinking there's some frozen pie filling and spicy chutney in my future. Stay tuned. The apples will not win.
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