Fond Memories of Putting Up Apples and Figs For The Winter

One of my fondest Fall memories was when we were raising our 7 children.  My husband and I would go to the Farmer's Market early in the Fall and buy 3 baskets of apples.

Apples from the Farmer's Market

I prefer 3 individual kinds of apples (Northern Spy, Machintosh and a green cooking apple which they now call a Granny Smith).  Then we would spend a Saturday sitting around the table peeling, coring and preparing the apples to be put into quart jars for the winter.

Except for the labor involved it is an easy task to prepare the apples so that we could make pies and strudels when there were no more apples.  Today that doesn't happen because the supermarkets carry apples of all varieties in every season but it was a productive day for us as a family.

The jars were prepared in the usual manner by boiling them and then setting them aside.  Once the apples were peeled and cored, they were cut into slices in a rather large bowl and sprinkled with about a third of a cup of sugar and a lot of cinnamon.  The bowl was then covered and put in the microwave for about 15 minutes.

Apples out of the microwave

When the apples came out of the microwave they were put into the waiting jars making sure that there was no air bubbles and set aside to cool.  Once cooled the jar was sealed.  Each jar of apples was marked with the date it was filled.  Once the jars had cooled and were sealed they were put on the shelf in what was once the butler's pantry off the kitchen.  That room stayed cool in winter and kept the jars perfectly.

Applesauce jarred for winter

After we had enough apples for pies and baked goods over the winter we would take the remainder of the apples and run them through the blender to make applesauce to be put aside for winter use also.  The applesauce was put into the jars in the same manner, making sure there were no air bubbles and set aside to cool before sealing.

The apple slices normally lasted until around Christmas time and would be used in strudels for the holiday.  If we were lucky we would have some left over and when the applesauce ran out we would reheat the apple slices and make them into applesauce.  In our family the request for homemade applesauce ran into all the holiday and family gatherings because they liked the homespun variety that I made which I called my "Mountain Sauce" which was almost brown from the abundance of cinnamon.

Figs growing on tree not ripened.

I never made this but my mother-in-law would take grapes and put them up into jams.  That recipe I don't have because it was never written down.  I also found a recipe for fig jam.

Slow Cooker Corn on the Cob

The Aspinwall VFD Flea Market is in full swing and will come to a close in October.  I'm pretty sure the farmers have corn.  I thought you might like to know how to make that delicious corn on the cob without the huge pot of boiling water that can be made for those days when you are grilling steaks outside. 

It's easy peasy so they say.  Just line your slow cooker with a spray and then add a quarter cup of water to the bottom.

husked corn in slow cooker

Place your husked corn into the slow cooker.  I suggest cutting the ears in half in order to get more corn into the slow cooker.  Set the temperature to low and let it cook for 2 hours.  See the latest way of husking corn in my article on putting up corn for the winter.

corn wrapped in foil and seasoned

If you prefer you can wrap your ears of corn in foil.  Brush the corn with melted butter and season to taste.

Husking the corn is now easier and less time consuming so why not use modern methods linked here to achieve what took a lot of hard work to achieve.

What's great about this recipe is that you can take the whole crock outside when the corn is done and you are ready to eat at the picnic table.

Which ever method you choose, the end result is a mouth watering summer treat while the corn is fresh out of the fields.

Of course, if you live in Sharpsburg, this week is the Guyasuta Festival.  Last night they had their all you can eat corn on the cob night.  That is a huge attraction every year.

Bon apetit' and as my mother-in-law used to say, "try it -- you'll like it."

Apples Best For Eating Or Cooking

There is truly no season that is best for apples.  In this day and age, the supermarkets carry a vast variety of apples year round.  The season for apples is only determined by what area is growing them at this time of year.

In the Northeast, the Fall is the best time to harvest apples.  The crop is at it's peak and falling off the trees.

Local farmers then gather them into bushels and take them to farmer's markets to sell.  But in today's world you don't have to wait for Fall to get the best variety of apples.  They are all at the supermarket.

There are many varieties to choose from and each has it's own texture and taste.  When I am putting up apples for the winter, I normally bring home a bushel of three different kinds to get a special taste for my winter baking and my applesauce.

My mother loved McIntosh Apples and ate them plain or cut them up into her Waldorf Salad.

The skin on this apple is red and green and it has a tart flavor.  The flesh is white and it ripens in late September.  Because it tends to mush up while baking, this one is not a good one for an apple pie.

My favorite to munching is a Gala which I only recently found in the supermarkets.

This one has a mild and sweet flavor.  I normally cut them up into slices after I core them for snacking.  The peel on this one is a bit tough so I usually peel the slices before I eat them.  This is one of my selections for my three apple mixture in my canning.

The next apple I look for is the granny smith.

This one is an all around apple for eating, baking or just about any recipe.  The flesh on this apple is normally a bit more crisp and it holds up well in recipes.  It is definitely one of my thee for canning.

I have always used a Northern Spy Apple to finish out the canning mix.

This variety has been a long time favorite of mine and is becoming more and more hard to find.  The supermarkets tend to carry different brands rather than waiting for this one.  I like it because it has the flavor that you find in the Gala and the crunch that you find in the Granny Smith.  It is a good one for baking pies and other recipes that call for baking or cooking.

I have tried Cortland Apples

I picked this one up because it looked like a Northern Spy with it's flecked skin.  That was my indicator that it would have good flavor and the crispness I was looking for.  It's texture is better for snaking and that ever popular Waldorf Salad.

This is all I have on apples for this fall.  I have spent many a fall hour coring and peeling apples for my winter canning.  We normally had between 12 and 18 jars of apple slices and an equal amount of my family's favorite apple sauce which I lovingly called mountain sauce because of all the cinnamon I put into it.

Cooking with Apples for Fall

 In the Fall, my mind turns to apples and apple recipes.  I'm partial to blending my apples for recipes to get a better flavor.  My favorite blend is Machintosh, Northern Spy and Gala apples.  This gets you not only a mixture of flavors but also a mixture of textures.

Let's start with a basic recipe for apple slices.

 Escalloped Apples is an easy recipe that requires 2 pounds of apples, preferably tart apples since you are going to sprinkles them with sugar and cinnamon.  Drop some dabs of butter over them.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.  Serve warm over ice cream or pound cake.  If you wish to eat them plain you can sprinkle them with a grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese before baking.  

Let's try a Baked Apple next.  

These are simple and easy since all you need to do is core the apple.  You can peel them if you are using a firmer apple.  Next you mix sugar, cinnamon and butter together and insert into the center of the apple.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes until the apple is tender.  Serve warm and top with fresh cream, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, whichever is your preference.  

Apple Dumplings are prepared the same as baked apples except that you cover them with a pie crust before you bake them.  You can make your own pie crust or buy a premade at the grocery store.  Click link for recipe

Let's move on to the ultimate our apple pie.  My mom preferred her apple pie with a slice of cheddar cheese on top.  I like mine plain but you may want to serve it with whipped or ice cream.

A variation of this is to make an apple turnover.  Cut your pie crust in quarters and fill the shell with your apple mixture.  Bake the same as you would a pie placing the turnovers on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  Click link for recipe

The easiest of the apple cakes to make is an Apple Upside Down Cake.  This was always a favorite of mine.  Click Link for Recipe

But my ultimate love for apple cake came after my next door neighbor's Aunt shared her recipe for this cake filled with fresh apples and then drizzled with a caramel drizzle.  You can only eat a small square of this cake because it so heavenly delicious and sweet.  Click link for recipe

In conclusion, I can't relate the delight I get from any of these recipes.  I'm hoping you try them and enjoy them as much as I do every time that I make them.

Apples Fresh or Baked in Your Favorite Recipe

There are so many delicious apple varieties.  My Mom preferred Macintosh.  I like Northern Spy and Gala.  I find the apples with the best taste are the ones that are white spotted reds.  Just cut up and eaten by themselves is the healthiest way to enjoy an apple.

Apple juice is okay but I never acquired a taste for it and apple cider is way too pungent for my taste.  A glass of apple juice is also healthy.

Waldorf Salad is a fresh fruit salad that uses chunks of fresh cut apples. My Mom always kept apples in the house and loved this salad.   She would make this salad any time she had extra apples that were starting to go soft.

Jarred Apple Slices

When apples are plentiful, I would buy three bushels and then put up my own apples for the winter season so that I could make my favorite recipes.  Yes, the supermarkets now stock all your favorite brands of apples year round but I preferred to just make my own when they were falling off the trees.

Baked Apple

My Mom made baked apples but not the traditional way wrapped in pie crust like apple dumplings.  She would take the whole apple and core it.  Then she would place the apple on a pie pan and drizzle a mixture of sugar and cinnamon into the cored out space.  The house smelled so wonderful as she baked these in the oven. 

Apple Dumpling

Over the years, I have come to like the apple dumpling style that you can buy in most bake shops or at fine restaurants.  These apples are cored, wrapped in a pie shell dough and then baked.  These are served with a dollop of whipped cream or in a bowl with cream poured over them.  Again , being a plain Jane, I like these served by themselves so that I can enjoy the pie crust flavor and the apple.

Apple Fritters

My mom also made apple fritters,  These delightful little crisps were so delicious after a beef stew dinner or as a breakfast treat.

Glazed Apple Turnover

From my childhood, I remember the Duquesne Bakery Truck that would come around once a week.  apple turnovers.  These delightful apple pastries were also filled with a whipped cream to give it that extra flavor.  The quick recipe for these that I use from time to time is to make them using frozen puff pastry dough from the supermarket.
My favorite from their baked goods was

Making Apple Strudel

At Christmas time, I would pull out a jar of my apples I had preserved and make an apple strudel using either my sweet bread dough or puff pastry dough from the supermarket.  Admittedly, the puff pastry dough made a much better tasting strudel that had vanilla glaze drizzled over it.



There are so many different ways to use apples and so many different tastes.

Hot Crossed Buns for Lent

ONE A PENNY, TWO A PENNY, HOT CROSSED BUNS.  We used to say that rhyme when we were children.  The only time of the year that you would be able to buy hot crossed buns was during Lent which starts next week on Wednesday.

The old A&P Supermarket always carried them during Lent and my Mom dearly loved them.  They would be packaged in a tin of six buns.  I could never see what was so special about them other than the sweet icing done piped into a cross on top of them.  I was never one for fruit such as currants and raisins inside my pastry.  I don't know why because I do like to eat raisins by the handful.

Most bakery shops carry them during Lent and I'm sure that their sweet dough is the same as what you can get in the modern day supermarket in their bakery departments.  I saw an ad for them in an email I received from Giant Eagle and that's what reminded me of this annual pastry.  Oakmont Bakery carries them during the season also.

For those of you who still prefer to make your own, Shop N Save offers an easy recipe online for making these.

In looking up the story behind this tiny bun which is almost the size of a biscuit, I find that it is traditionally eaten by people of British descent on Good Friday.  Here in the states you can get them all during Lent and only during Lent.