Apple Project #5 Plus...

No pictures this time. I dried 5 medium/large Cortland apples yesterday. They took only 7 hours to dry and the four trays were packed full (but no overlaps). Now I will have the apples to make two pies in the months to come. We also will be able to determine which pie we like better. Last year the one I made with the dried Macouns was absolutely delicious and perfect.

Two more projects have been completed to my satisfaction. The fallen pine cones that I had picked up in a neighbor's yard and then baked to melt the sap were used. There are none left. I have had this project in mind for quite a while and sent the Mister to the tractor store to buy a ball of jute or hemp. He found jute. It was messy but worked just fine. A tricky balancing act was then accomplished with the trial and error method and I have a rustic mobile. The leftover ones were attached to an old metal ivy wreath along with the three teasels that I had previously dried.  Since there were no large lumpy pumpkins at the orchard this year, I bought just one gourd and a little lumpy orange pumpkin. The pumpkin in the middle is ceramic. It was my mother's, a gift to her when when she was in the extended care facility. Soooooooo, now I am into the seasonal mood and all is fine.

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An Apple a Day...

...hopefully - will keep us OK! 
Today we made our first batch of applesauce of the year. First I swoosh them round in a bowl of water mixed with a little distilled white vinegar. This is because I keep the skins on for applesauce.  It takes two to tango with this project.  The Mister quarters, I core and slice. I cook down with about a quart of water in the old applesauce kettle and then the aged Foley food mill is employed and managed by the Mister. A little sprinkle of cinnamon and a touch of nutmeg is added. Some sugar too if we think it needs it after several taste tests. 

I had divided my apple supply in half and then picked out several of the larger ones, which are easier to peel, separately for further baking efforts. The other half sits in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator waiting to be sliced and diced to do the project again - maybe next week. Our freezer is almost full!

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I must say that Cortland applesauce is quite different from our favorite Macoun applesauce.  Macouns are extra-sweet and aromatic, very juicy with tender, snow-white flesh. Cortlands make a denser and heavier sauce and there is 'something' missing in the flavor. We have been spoiled for over 45 years using Macouns with the looser texture and a different distinct flavor and aroma. HOWEVER, we are so very grateful to have any apples at all and to still have the ability to make applesauce.

There is a number on the crank plate. In 1933 it was called a Foley Food Masher and was mostly used to make baby food. (I'll bet my mother used it for me!)

Food Mill Article

Pears

My brother stopped by with a bucket of pears and asked me if I wanted some. Well, I said, "Thanks, but no thanks." He convinced me that they are tasty. He has a juicer and makes pear juice. They grow wild near where he lives and in previous years he has ignored them because they are SOOOOO hard!

He left four for me to try to make pear sauce. I really didn't want any.                               This is a picture of mine:

Since it's my nature to try to learn about almost everything, I researched pears. There are several varieties of "winter pears" and I have determined these are the Nelis pears.

These graphics are from the internet:

There is a lot of information about the winter pears and many recipes as well. One site says:

• Originates from: Mechelen / Malines, Belgium
• Introduced: 1818
• Developed by: M. Jean Charles Nelis

• A very highly regarded late-season dessert pear from Belgium, with an excellent sweet flavor. The fruits keep well.

Another site says that they will ripen after picked. Ok, we'll see about that!

Oh, and by the way, I bought another peck of Cortland apples. I know about apples. Jayne's found this oversized one while sorting and bagging. She put it in the middle of a half bushel bag and wonders what the person who bought that bag will think when they see it!

Jayne's oversized apple

Still life material - mine.

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