Thursday, October 3, 2013



The Applesauce Adventure.

Out in the middle of cornfields and dairy farms, if one drives long enough, one will come to this country orchard.  The simple sign by the one side of the road...




...and the acres of orchards are the only indication that this was our destination.




We walked in the side room of the barn and discovered what it was we were looking for.  Apples of many varieties in huge wooden bins. 




Oh, and homemade wooden rocking chairs in the one corner.  Now, let me ask you, do you frequent any stores that offer crates of apples and homemade rockers in the same place?




We knew we wanted Cortland apples.  We found the Cortland bin, with red baskets on the side.
In the far corner were big plastic bags to help with the process.  Next we started the chore of
picking out the apples of our choice.  I informed my husband to go for the reddest apples, and the biggest, and the ones with no markings:). 



I smiled at the thought of two grown adults digging through huge wooden crates of apples.
For him, this was a brand new experience.  For me, this was the third time that I
visited the apple farm, although it had been at least three years since my last visit.




On the side small table, were containers of pure local honey for sale.  Never mind that some of the containers say "New York".  One just has to use whatever containers are available.




Homemade apple cider was also available.




I opened the small refrigerator door and saw the gallons filled and waiting to be purchased.




During the apple choosing process, the only other person we saw, was a lady who stopped by for some apples.  No owners, no helpers, and no other souls did we see.  When we were finished filling
our baskets, we looked around to see how to pay for our apples, because there certainly wasn't anyone to ask.  Then we saw it, a written sign on the side door of the refrigerator.  How trusting these dear folks are.  I walked through the wooden door of the farmhouse, and there I found a tablet and a steel box, in the small foyer.  The title at the top of the tablet page said, "Name, and amount of apples purchased".  At the top of the steel box was a slit for checks or cash.  What an unique and interesting experience!




Upon arriving home, I scrubbed the apples thoroughly, cut them in quarters, cooked them until boiling and soft.




I pulled out my trusty Norpro Sauce Master, and proceeded to make my applesauce, adding only enough sugar as needed, and a bit of vanilla to each batch.  The Cortland apples are sweet and don't need a lot of sugar.  They also produce pink applesauce, which for some reason, I like. 




"Pink delicious goodness", ready for the freezer.




From the country to the freezer in a few easy and yet time consuming steps.

I will tell you, that in the middle of these steps, my mother called and told me that I must go out
front of the house and see the amazing sunset.  So, one listens to one's mother, and I headed out
to capture the night's closing beauty.




As the sun went down, I hurried back inside to finish the chore I had started.

I thought so much of my grandma and my mother as I worked on the sauce.  All through the years, I have helped them with the making of applesauce.  My grandma canned it and we would line the shelves of her old, cold cellar in the bottom of her farmhouse with colorful, delicious looking full canning jars.  Each summer I would help her can the produce from her trees and gardens.  When I helped my mother to make applesauce, we would freeze it, instead of the canning process.  I remember the first year that she purchased the Stain Master food strainer, and how much easier it made the chore.

In contemplating whether this happening was blog worthy or not, I hoped that by me sharing it, not one single one of you will feel like you need to do this.  It just happens that it was something I grew up doing and for that, I am most thankful.  If you stop by my home, I would love to share some of the "pink goodness" with you.

8 comments:

jem60 said...

Thank you for sharing I have never heard of putting vanilla in applesauce, I used to help my mom freeze applesauce and we used cortlands and mac's they were her favorite to use. Love the pictures of the sunset. Have a blessed day

Judy said...

Now that brings back memories of apple-sauce making in years gone by. I helped my mother make applesauce...and then made it myself for years. It always went in the freezer. But it was never such a nice pinky colour! It's been awhile since I made applesauce in bulk.

Your apple market is unlike anything we have over here. I love how trusting the people are in your part of the world!

Glad you never missed the sunset! Beautiful.

p.s.phyllis sews said...

My mother made applesauce every year after she retired because my brother had planted dwarf apple trees in their yard. There is a children's book titled 'And the Doorbell Rang' that has a repeating sentence that says, "No one makes cookies like Grandma." My daughter used to say instead, "No one makes applesauce like Grandma!" When we lived in upstate New York, that was a fall custom we enjoyed together for several years - picking the apples and making applesauce. Thanks for a post like this to refresh my own wonderful memories!

Happy@Home said...

I enjoyed reading about your apple adventure. I found it so heartwarming to see the trust the apple farm owners had for their customers.
Your pink applesauce is so pretty. I didn't realize you could freeze applesauce.
The pink sunset seems a perfect ending for this post. So pretty.

lindsey said...

This certainly was blog worthy, we don't usually make applesauce on mass here in the UK so I found this post really interesting. So is the sauce used for pies? We have applesauce with pork but usually just make enough for a meal or two. We also use apples in pies and other deserts but often the apples are just sliced or cooked until fairly smooth but maybe not puréed. I like the idea of having lots made up in the freezer :)

http://bitsandpieces-sonja.blogspot.com/ said...

I just loved this! I can taste those apples and the cider and especially the pink applesauce!!! I just got home from the grocery store and bought 9 little buckets of Mott's natural applesauce... not even CLOSE to your pink applesauce. You have so many wonderful farm fresh places where you live... we have good tomatoes and squash, but also lots of mosquitoes, flys and extreme heat!!! So keep those pictures coming, it makes me dream of being in that beautiful farm country. I remember lots of those farms as we grew up, and I still love the memories.

Maryann said...

I can almost smell the apples. I have never seen so many apples in one place, I bet they were delicious. Enjoyed reading about your adventure

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

Oh, you caught the sunset at just the right moment ~ it is beautiful!

Such a joy traveling with you to find the Cortland apples and then to see the lovely end result! I'd love to taste some pink goodness :)

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails