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| 25 new of 130 responses total. |
denise
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response 75 of 130:
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Sep 16 21:38 UTC 2007 |
[And most of the apples I'm using are golden ginger [or something like
that] along with a couple gala apples that my SIL gave me.]
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mary
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response 76 of 130:
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Sep 16 22:21 UTC 2007 |
It isn't until it's done and I start stirring it that I see how much it's
really reduced in volume. And it will most certainly thicken when cooled.
If you like it chunky, don't mash it up. If you like it smooth, have at
it. This freezes very well.
I am so curious to see if you like the finished product. And doesn't the
house smell like grandma's at Christmas?
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keesan
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response 77 of 130:
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Sep 17 00:22 UTC 2007 |
Today we biked about 10 miles to pick apples from three trees near Whitmore
Lake Rd (and also got two dozen brown eggs, from the Rhode Island Red chickens
who came out to observe us). Jim has a fancy red-enameled metal large apple
picker gadget which he attached to some 1" grey electrical pvc conduit, 5',
with another 5' piece fitting into the joint. He screwed an improvised carrier
for this gadget to the raccoon cage on his bike and it only stuck up about
2' above the bike. The raccoon did not comment. (He finally caught the
monster that ripped the cage open twice before in the past week, and stole
food out of it the night before last, by reinforcing the cage three ways).
About 1/3 of the apples he aimed at jumped off onto the soft grass. We are
going to sauce the ones with a lot of bad spots and refrigerate the rest to
have with oatmeal all winter. I dried a couple jars full of the sour green
summer apples (with electricity, the heat was welcome this weekend).
There is another tree along the way with unripe apples that we will check next
week, and two trees south of town in a parking lot that we generally pick in
mid to late October, one of them an excellent keeper. A few on north campus
and near the hospital. Some up the street at the nursing home (but no pears
this year). I might eventually make fruit leather out of some of the apple
sauce. Two cups sauce, one cup xylitol (sugar which does not cause tooth
decay), dry in the dehydrator after spreading about 1/2" thick on a rollup
thin plastic mat that Jim cut to fit over the grating.
There are lots of other abandoned apple trees around here. A few with larger
apples behind a doctor's parking lot where the neighbor takes her kids.
Nobody else seems to want free apples that need a bit of trimming. We fill
three refrigerators by October, with apples, cabbages, ripening tomatoes.
I have tried carrots in sand in the root cellar. Apples keep best at about
35 degrees.
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denise
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response 78 of 130:
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Sep 17 09:54 UTC 2007 |
I love this applesauce; I definitely don't want to go to the store-
brought stuff any more! :-)
The only thing is that it did reduce in amount a lot more than I thought
it would. With starting out with a full 3 quarts and almost 12 hours
set on low on the crockpot, I ended up filling three 1 3/4 cup
containers between 1/2--2/3 full [Last night I put 2 of the containers
in the freezer; I'm eating some [all, maybe] for an early breakfast
now]. Makes me wish I had a bigger crock pot! :-) Mary, have you ever
tried this recipe but cooked it less than the 12 hours? I'm wondering
how the flavor would be if I did cook it less, before it would reduce
as much [though I bet it wouldn't taste as good].
I have another somewhat related question, too. I haven't done a whole
lot of cooking with crock pots--only stuff like stew or something that
only takes a few hours. So with a recipe like this that simmers/cooks
for 12 hours [or the apple butter that would go for 24], how long can we
safely go without stirring it? The sauce was simmering/bubbling almost
the whole time-so I stirred it almost every 2 hours or so-probably more
than I needed to. So would I be ok in letting this cook away over night
without worrying about stirring it up? I've had stuff simmer in
regular pots that wouldn't be able to simmer that much and not get away
withsemi-frequent stirring. I do realize that crock pots are somewhat
different; I just don't have that much experience with them yet.
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denise
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response 79 of 130:
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Sep 17 09:58 UTC 2007 |
Are all the trees your picking from, Sindi, on public property and thus,
free for the taking? For me, I'd feel rather uncomfortable picking
that many apples to fill 3 refridgerators full. Even if the trees
seemed abandoned, it seems like some of them, at least, would still be
on private property.
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mary
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response 80 of 130:
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Sep 17 12:08 UTC 2007 |
I'm so glad you like the applesauce, Denise. I've made batches that only
cooked for around eight hours, and they were fine, although maybe a little
chunkier if I used lots of Granny Smiths. That variety seems to hold up
the longest. I don't remember if the end volume was significantly more,
but the less reduced it is the milder the flavor. So you can see how there
is room to making this "to taste".
As to how it would go making applebutter in your crockpot - it
depends. Up until this year I had a really old Rival crockpot.
Like, from the seventies. It would only break into a visible simmer
if it was on high for hours and hours, covered. I now have a new
crockpot and it simmers on low, no problem. I did a bit of research
on this and crockpots have changed over time - getting hotter. Too
bad, really. I think it was a food safety thing.
When I make applebutter in my new crockpot I'll have the apples ready to
go first thing, early morning. And let it rip until bedtime. I'll then
simply turn it off and let it cool until morning. That would give me a
good 16 hours of cooking, which I think would do the job at that higher
heat. I also don't stir it at all while it's cooking but not because I
think that's a problem (the literature says that's only an issue with
older crockpots) but because I'm into appreciating the "hands-off"
crockpot feature.
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mary
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response 81 of 130:
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Sep 17 12:14 UTC 2007 |
Regarding your stirring question - I suspect that the more you stir the
more you need to stir as every time you lift the lid you lose moisture
and the product gets thicker. Maybe. All I can tell you is I don't
stir this recipe from the time I put the apples in the pot until after
it's been off and cooled some, and sticking has never been a problem.
But then that was with my old crockpot. Things may change. ;-)
I'm going to make a batch within the next couple of weeks. I'll report
back.
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keesan
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response 82 of 130:
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Sep 17 15:08 UTC 2007 |
The apples we collected were falling on the ground. Half of what we got was
windfalls. On previous occasions we had picked up the non-rotten ones and
thrown all the rest into a small pile, which is helpful to the people who mow.
It is also helpful to them that more apples do not fall. Obviously nobody
was picking them or picking them up. Americans do not like apples with bad
spots, which most of these have. The tree we got most of the apples from is
next to a parking lot of a restaurant which is closed and for sale. We used
to pick pears from a local pizza place but they chopped down the tree because
it was dropping pears on the parking lot and was messy. We also picked up
fallen branches and threw them into a pile. The other tree was dropping
apples onto the road. There were lots of apples under it.
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glenda
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response 83 of 130:
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Sep 17 15:34 UTC 2007 |
You are still trespassing and breaking the law. The property may be for
sale or appear abandoned, but it does belong to someone. You could be
arrested if someone called you into the police while you were there
picking up the fruit. I would never do such a thing without contacting
the owners of record and getting explicit permission.
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keesan
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response 84 of 130:
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Sep 17 16:31 UTC 2007 |
You do what you like, and we will do what we like. We waved at several people
in trucks going in and out of the parking lot and they all smiled at us.
We have asked permission to collect apples from trees in people's yards
(always given gladly - less for them to pick up before mowing). We got
permission from a manager at an apartment complex (she wanted us to sign a
release in case we fell out of a tree) and brought her a few of the best
apples. Nobody has every objected and most were grateful.
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slynne
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response 85 of 130:
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Sep 17 17:19 UTC 2007 |
resp:83 You gotta admit, though, that the odds of anyone calling the
cops on someone picking up old apples off the ground are pretty close to
zero.
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keesan
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response 86 of 130:
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Sep 17 23:26 UTC 2007 |
We also got permission to pick cherries, three times. Can one trespass in
a public parking lot?
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denise
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response 87 of 130:
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Sep 18 00:54 UTC 2007 |
That's true, Mary, about the flavor being milder if it wasn't 'reduced'
as much. And I do love the flavor of the stuff I made, so I'll stick
with that. Or, perhaps, take some of it out at about 7-8 hours and let
the rest go the full time and compare the two. And I'll let it go
without taking the lid off and stirring so much, too. :-)
I thought I had to go do some stuff tomorrow but found out this evening
that it needs to be postponed. So tomorrow I'll try and do another
batch. [and will also find something to fix up using the small tomatoes
that I got from my SIL last week].
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denise
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response 88 of 130:
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Sep 19 21:28 UTC 2007 |
I made my 2nd batch of applesauce yesterday. I really packed those
chopped apples in there tight and filled it to the brim so that the
cover had *just* enough room to sit on top of the pot without any heat
getting out. And per the above suggestions, I didn't stir it at all. It
cooked for maybe 10 hours, then after turning it off, I let it sit in
the pot for another hour or so to start cooling off. I then finally took
the lid off and stirred... And as a result, I had so much more than
last time, probably double! It's a bit more 'liquidy' than the first
one, but that's ok. I had a taste of it last night as I filled my
containers [was still nice and warm] but haven't tried any yet today.
Will do so with dinner this evening. I currently have one bowl in the
'fridge and added 4 more to the freezer [with the 1 3/4 cup containers
almost full; the 2 in the freezeer from the last batch don't have quite
as much].
I'm going to enjoy this stuff--and will continue to make more until my
supply of apples run out. I do have somee, but not enough for the 3 qt
crock pot. But sometimes my dad brings home some fruit for me every week
from the grocery store [while I take care of my mom while he's gone].
So hopefully, as the apples come in and are on-sale, he'll get some
more. Hmm, perhaps if I entice him with some sauce I've already made,
perhaps that would ensure he'll provide the needed fruit. :-) And of
course, whenever I get out to the grocery store again, I'll get some,
too, if they're on salee...
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keesan
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response 89 of 130:
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Sep 20 02:54 UTC 2007 |
We only cook ours for about half an hour, until it is soft.
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mary
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response 90 of 130:
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Sep 20 17:58 UTC 2007 |
I find it thickens when refrigerated. Consistency also varies some
with the type of apples used. But I've never had a batch come out
as thin as Motts natural, which I consider decent jar applesauce.
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denise
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response 91 of 130:
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Sep 21 00:59 UTC 2007 |
When I heated up a portion of the applesauce earilier today, I added a
dab of carmel [the kind for dipping apples and such into]. It was good,
though a tad bit on the sweet side [though nothing wrong with a bit of
sweetness in life, eh?]
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edina
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response 92 of 130:
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Sep 21 15:22 UTC 2007 |
That's why you serve it with ice cream, to cut the sweetness.
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cmcgee
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response 93 of 130:
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Sep 21 16:05 UTC 2007 |
Heads up on the annual Grex Walk to the Dexter Cider Mill, with lunch at
the Lighthouse Cafe.
See Grexwalk item in Agora.
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denise
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response 94 of 130:
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Sep 21 17:17 UTC 2007 |
So sad that the Cider Mill trip has to be on a Saturday. :-( I'll have
to go on my own some day down the road... Let me know his the Sat.
trip goes!
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denise
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response 95 of 130:
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Oct 20 22:17 UTC 2008 |
Has anyone done anything special with this year's crop of apples yet?
Any good recipes for apple crisp or anything else simple? I'm going to
be copying the crock pot applesauce recipe; I haven't made any yet this
year... I'll have to try finding some of that apple brandy; I never did
find any last fall. I know Mary said it's expensive, but the finished
product does taste sooo much nicer than without it...
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denise
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response 96 of 130:
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Oct 20 22:20 UTC 2008 |
And what kind of apples do y'all like to eat and/or cook with?
I recall using different types of apples in the various batches of apple
sauce that I made last year; some I liked better than the others, I just
don't remember which was which!
With lunch, I had a honey crisp apple; these are juicy and really good,
as far as I'm concerned--at least for eating plain. Dunno how they are
for cooking.
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keesan
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response 97 of 130:
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Oct 20 23:15 UTC 2008 |
We just went apple picking on Eisenhower Blvd near some major intersection.
Found two good trees but the air is really awful there. We stuck it out long
enough to get windfalls and also picked rose hips and wild grapes on some
highway overpass with trucks roaring by. We just eat them, or if there are
a lot with rotten parts, we dry them or make and freeze applesauce. We cut
up apples into our oatmeal, or sometimes cook with cabbage and onions, or even
microwave them with nuts (this year hickory instead of black walnut) and anise
and coriander (ground up). Macs are mushy with touch skins and relatively
tasteless. What else is for sale in stores?
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mary
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response 98 of 130:
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Oct 21 12:33 UTC 2008 |
In my seasonal cooking fall means soups and applesauce. My plan is to go
to Farmer's Market tomorrow and get a huge bag of mixed apple seconds and
make up a batch this weekend. I used the last container of last year's
batch just about a month ago. Then I'll cook-up some curried butternut
squash soup (again, with apples) and pronounce it autumn. ;-)
I'm planning to attend the Grex BOD meeting tonight and I'll bring along a
dose of Calvados for you to try this recipe. You really don't want to buy
a bottle until you know you like it.
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mary
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response 99 of 130:
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Oct 21 12:34 UTC 2008 |
Actually, I think it's "Farmers' Market", but who cares?
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