October Daily 7: Apples

 

Every autumn when I was a child, my parents purchased a box or two of apples. They came in wooden boxes that later made fine storage boxes for garden implements and tools, or beds for dolls. They were stored in the basement cool room, a small room with a vent to the outdoors to allow the cold air in. 

The pale yellow Transparent apples went soft quite quickly and were used for making applesauce. I loved the MacIntosh variety that was better for eating. Biting into one made a satisfying crunch with sweet juice filling my mouth. 

As I grew older, I craved the sour green Granny Smiths, so good for pies. Gala, Pink Lady, and Ambrosia apples are the ones we see in the stores now.

Several years ago we planted a couple of small apple trees, a Liberty and an Akane. We keep them well trimmed so that no ladder is needed to pick the fruit. This year the harvest is plentiful to overflowing. Neighbours and visitors, even the technician that came to work on our Internet connection are all offered a bag of apples. I've filled the fridge drawer with them to keep them crisp longer, but there are still more apples. 

One recipe I make every year is Danish Pastry Apple Squares from the cookbook above. They freeze well and I cut them into squares and freeze them in the containers Tim takes to work.

Of course, we eat them fresh and warm from the oven, too, and that's when they are at their very best. I adapted the recipe slightly and you can find it at my recipe blog by clicking the link above.  

Hooray for apples! Here are a few apple sayings -- 

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Just because you find one bad apple doesn't mean you should give up on the whole tree.

Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree. (Martin Luther)

Do you enjoy eating and baking with apples?