Fall is here, and one of my favorite things to do this time of year is pick the apples from our apple trees. It's a wonderful family activity and a way to celebrate the bounty of the year. We filled our baskets and then I set to work to create delicious foods for us to enjoy with our harvest.
First up was applesauce because both of our kids love it, and homemade applesauce is a real treat. My mother-in-law had gifted us an apple peeler and food mill, so it was time to put these to use!
The apple scraps went into mason jars, to be made into apple cider vinegar. An important part of the homesteader mindset - nothing wasted!
As the apples were peeled and cored, I put them in a large bowl of water and lemon juice to prevent browning.
Next, the apples were simmered with a bit of water and cinnamon sticks until softened.
After removing the cinnamon sticks, I ran the apples through the food mill. This was fun! I can't wait to use the food mill for future canning projects.
Once all of the apples were processed, I added sugar to taste, and then poured it into jars.
This applesauce turned out absolutely delicious! We'll definitely be making it again next year.
I added sugar water to the apple scraps to ferment for a couple of weeks, to make our apple cider vinegar.
And of course I had to make an apple dessert! This year I decided to make an apple tart, topped with these beautiful pecans we received from our neighbors, who used to have a pecan farm.
The apple tart was scrumptious, enjoyed with a generous dollop of vanilla ice cream.
RECIPES
Applesauce
Ingredients:
8 lbs apples, peeled, cored and sliced
10 cinnamon sticks
2 C. water
1/2 C. sugar
Simmer apples in a large pot with water and cinnamon sticks until apples are soft, about 25 minutes.
Remove cinnamon sticks, and run apples through food mill. Mix in sugar to taste.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Ingredients:
Apple scraps (peels and cores)
Sugar
Water
Fill jar 3/4 full with apple scraps.
Mix sugar into water at 1 TBS per cup of water until dissolved.
Pour sugar water over apple scraps until they are fully submerged. Cover jar securely with cheesecloth or muslin cloth and store in a warm dark place to ferment.
After two weeks, remove apple scraps and then allow remaining liquid to ferment an additional two weeks, or until it has developed the vinegar taste.
Cap and store for use as needed!
Apple Tart
Ingredients:
For the crust -
2 C. Flour
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1 1/2 sticks butter, cut into 1/4" cubes
3/4 C. Cold Water
For the tart-
3 C. Peeled and sliced apples
2 Tbs. Apricot jam (optional)
3 Tbs. Butter
4 Tbs sugar
Chopped pecans (optional)
Make the crust -
Mix flour and salt. Add cubed butter and mix it in with a pastry cutter until it becomes crumbly. This should take a minute or two. Slowly add in cold water, mixing with a fork until dough starts to come together.
Divide dough in half and shape into two balls. Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge for at least an hour. You'll only be using one dough ball so you can freeze the other one for later use.
When you are ready to make your tart, remove dough from fridge and roll out on floured surface to 14" diameter. Place crust on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and put back in the fridge for about 10 min.
Assemble the tart -
Preheat oven to 400° F.
Remove rolled out tart crust from fridge. Spread apricot jam on crust, up to 1 1/2" from edge of crust. Layer apple slices, starting 1 1/2" from edge and slightly overlapping as you add them to the center. Fold the uncovered crust edges up and in to seal in the apple filling.
Melt butter and brush onto crust and tops of apples. Sprinkle sugar onto crust and apples. Add chopped pecans to top of apple filling.
Bake in oven for about 45 min. or until golden brown.
Enjoy with vanilla ice cream.
Bon appetit!