Every year, we look forward to our family tradition of going apple picking. We are in the height of apple picking season, and New York State has some of the best apples in the country. There are lots of fun, family activities at the apple orchard along with apple picking, and I always feel that picking our own teaches us about the concentrated flavors of different apple varieties. That’s the fun part too, picking an apple, taking a few bites and then biting into the next one. No sin about eating these freshly picked apples, just plain goodness.
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Best Tips For Apples
We always pick a bushel, coming home with more apples than we can possibly eat within a week or two. There’s only so much applesauce, so much apple pie that one can eat before capping out on apples. If only all the apples that we picked would stay fresh for months and we wouldn’t feel the need to rush and eat them all immediately. Here are my best tips for apples!
As it turns out, the base for apple pie – the sugar and spices, is the base for many apple desserts. The combination of apples, flour, sugar, cinnamon and allspice is the base for apple pie, apple crumble, applesauce, apple tarts. Apple turnovers, apple dumplings, apple pie ice cream; I’m getting all Bubba Gump on you with apple recipes, but the fact is the list is lengthy with the amount of apple desserts that can be created with one main base.
One of my best tips for apples is in the prepping!
Here To Prep Apples For Freezing
Peel, and core 5-6 medium sized apples and cut into half-inch chunks. Place in a bowl and add 3 Tablespoons flour, ½ cup sugar, 1-teaspoon cinnamon and a 1/8-teaspoon allspice. Stir to combine making sure all apple chunks are coated. Add the apple mixture into a gallon sized freezer bag, squeezing out all the extra air and then close. Label with the date and freeze. Not only is this a time saver, but a space saver as well. The bags lie flat and can be stored in the freezer in stacks. Whenever you’re ready for that apple dessert, pull the bag out of the freezer, thaw and you’re ready to go.
I know what you’re thinking now; peeling the apples is such a hassle and takes forever.
Not any more!
What if I told you that I have a tip where peeling an apple takes less than one minute?!
Seriously!
The secret is using a special apple and potato peeler. All you have to do is push the apple to the fork spikes, secure and turn the handle. My favorite one is very affordable and also highly rated.
Another Fun Way To Peel An Apple!
Attach a one-inch, very clean, spade bit to your drill. Press it about one inch down in the top of an apple. Holding the drill with the apple attached in one hand, with the other hand place a “Y” shaped apple peeler directly on the skin of the apple. (As a side note, the “Y” shaped apple peeler works best for this tip. Pull the trigger on the drill, high speed, and move the peeler up and down the flesh of the apple until all of the skin has been peeled. It’s that fast and that easy. Take the apple off the drill bit and start over with another apple. In about 5 minutes, you have an apple-based recipe peeled, prepped and ready to store for future use.
Now, how about them apples!!
While the getting is good, I encourage everyone to go out and pick apples. With these quick tips that I shared with you today, you will certainly be thanking me when you need to make that last minute dessert, and you’ve already done all of the prep work!!
3 Of My Favorite Apple Recipes!
Here are 3 of my very favorite apple recipes that I would love to share with you!
Apple Pie Ice Cream
Yes, you read that correctly, and this recipe is like a frozen apple pie. Just like the recipe states, it seioursly is out of this world good and would be a delicious twist to serve for dessert on Thanksgiving! You can find the recipe HERE!
Slow Cooker Apple Butter
Out of all of my apple recipes, this one is my most popular one. The slow cooker does all of the work on this one and there is no skimp on flavor. It can be enjoyed right away, or even canned. Apple butter also makes for a nice host / hostess gift, if you have any leftover to give….
You can find the best slow cooker apple butter recipe HERE!!
Homemade Caramel Apples
Caramel apples have been among my favorite sweet treat for as long as I can remember. Whether I get them from the fair or my favorite candy shop, I love them. So, a little while back I tested and tested recipes until I came up with a caramel apple that is the best I’ve ever had. You can find this amazing caramel apple recipe HERE!!
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