I picked them, prepped them and froze them all!

[walkonby]

Not sure if anyone here knows I do have a nice apple tree in my yard, but this year I was kinda lazy to keep up with collecting them as they fell....omgoodness! so many! We cleaned up the yard a few times and just tossed full bags of them in the compost.
I am sure those of you with fruit trees that do not treat or spray them have the same problem we have with bugs ruining so many of them.
Not sure what variety of red apple I have but they are sweet enough to eat raw. DH and I teamed up maybe 2 weeks ago (?) and cleaned enough of them to make 2 pans ( 9x11 ) of apple crisp ( pans were filled to the tops too ) I froze one away for Xmas.

However.....I have been accumulating a stash slowly of tart green apples ( picking some each time I walk the dogs!!) This tree is nearby and has plenty of branches hanging over the fence in the school where we go, so fair game! ) This a.m. I finally peeled them all with my nifty Star Frit machine, then made thick slices into cold water with lots of lemon juice.

In batches I towel dried them and then filled the plastic bags that come with my Foodsaver machine. I placed folded paper towel at the very top of each bag next to the apples and sucked the air out. I am starting to get more comfortable with the Foodsaver machine now, but it sure is a noisy thing. I also placed 8 of them in a bag whole but cored and peeled to make Apple Blossom desserts at some point. They all look so taught in their vacuum bags in the freezer.
My final yield was 9 pounds of apple. Not bad for free! ( even better than the WM reduced produce rack )

This pic is kinda how mine looked but of course I loaded the bags up much more.

[CrazyQT]

That's awesome!

I love my foodsaver. I use it for everything.

Just wondering why you placed paper towel at the top?

[walkonby]

That's awesome!

I love my foodsaver. I use it for everything.

Just wondering why you placed paper towel at the top?

I was nervous about any moisture going into the machine, I am still kinda new at using mine but I JUST LOVE IT!! The instruction booklet said you could place a piece of paper towel at the top and that way any moisture that would come up would hit that first maybe? I hope there won't be any problem when it comes to using the apples. They look totally sealed, the package is so hard! DH was blown away by this machine, I guess he only saw me sealing the mason jars last year when i filled them with dehydrated foods. I did not want to use up the plastic bags ( I got a nice supply of them with the kit last year, but replacements are costly ) on frivolous things just to use the machine, so this was my very first time actually doing it.

[Natalka]

How wonderful, and YUM!

[kerrylj]

Just a suggestion...toss the apples into the street collection if you can. The little buggers live in the ground and come back next year in even greater numbers if you just put them in your own compost. The city compost is heated and it kills the buggers better than you can in the backyard type.

way to go on the preserves. Lot of work but great to have

[beckie.c]

Awesome job!

[walkonby]

Just a suggestion...toss the apples into the street collection if you can. The little buggers live in the ground and come back next year in even greater numbers if you just put them in your own compost. The city compost is heated and it kills the buggers better than you can in the backyard type.

way to go on the preserves. Lot of work but great to have

sorry, that is what I meant by compost, I meant I put the bags beside my street collection container. There were so many of them and they are just too heavy to put inside the container, our garbage men will not lift the thing if it is over 40 lbs ( I think that is the limit )

[coupon girl]

wow nice to have free apples -way to go it sure does beat walmarts reduced rack

[ticul]

I had a apple tree before with huge red apples and every years a few of my neigbours would help me to pick them and fill a bag for them a the same time. I use them for apple pies and apple sauces. Thank you for sharing a great brag Walk lots of work for you but a the end lots of wonderful desserts..........................

[walkonby]

aw thanks everyone for your likes and reps and comments.......I became TOP T today because of you guys! thanks!!

[dededi]

Great job and congrats on the Top T, Walks.

[maggiespice]

Very nicely done! I managed to harvest my entire apple tree and I made about 37 jars of different kind of apple cinnamon jams, apple pie jam/marmalade, apple jellies. We are set for jam now for about 2 years!!! (Or at least until next season)

[walkonby]

Very nicely done! I managed to harvest my entire apple tree and I made about 37 jars of different kind of apple cinnamon jams, apple pie jam/marmalade, apple jellies. We are set for jam now for about 2 years!!! (Or at least until next season)

37 jars!!?? wow! I know how much effort that took, but as you said now you're set...........until next season, ha ha ! Congrats.

[KathyN]

wow, lots of work!

[morningrose]

Great preparation, I should also learn this!

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