The apple tree is thought to be the oldest cultivated tree. And, as autumn is upon us in the Northern Hemisphere, if you can, you should make your way to an orchard and harvest some yourself. Get in touch with your timeless, common humanity by going apple picking. Take a bite of the first fruits of civilization. If you live in the Continental US, try using the orchard finder from allaboutapples.com.
Pick a peck
If you do happen to go apple picking, you’re going to walk away with at least a peck of apples, which is about 2 gallons or 9 liters. You will probably walk away with even more than that because such fresh deliciousness is hard to pass up.
Finding a use for all those apples should be a lot of fun. Obviously, you’ll want to snack on them raw. Baking with apples is as easy as … pie. Check out Chris Kimball from Cook’s Illustrated talking apple recipes.
Juicing is the way to go
And of course, one of the best ways to use a lot of apples quickly is to juice them. Apples add sweetness and body to any juice concoction. Although there are many different types of apples, they all have a very similar taste. But when you blend a couple different types, you can get a real expansion of flavor qualities. Mix tart apples like Granny Smith with sweet apples like Gala for an interesting cocktail.
Using apples with savory vegetables is a wonderful way to introduce children’s palettes to juicing. They’re sure to want to get in on the juicing, especially if they’ve picked the apples themselves. You can then use the apple-rich pulp from your juicing to make delicious breads and other baked treats.
