Apples were not a hot commodity in the South Plains of Texas where I grew up, so I had no arsenal of family favorite recipes to choose from. Our apple trees were loaded this year here in Central Oklahoma and I needed to know what to do with all these apples. Thanks to Pinterest, I now have some recipes that I've adjusted to make them "my own".
I hope you enjoy these new family favorites that I've added to my recipe box.
Apple Dumplings 4cagservice.com/recipe
These were even great cold
Cinnamon Apple Rings 4cagservice.com/recipes
Who knew,,,? I had to order the Red Hots online because the Cinnamon Disks purchased from a local dollar store did not produce a pretty red color so my first batch of Cinnamon Apple Rings turned out looking like canned bologna.
See the difference? The left side is the bologna look alike.
Brandied Cinnamon Apples 4cagservice.com/recipes
I have best friends that came to my rescue to help me with the abundance of apples. This particular recipe called for 1/2 cup of Brandy. My friend Monica Arndt of skyridgefarmok.com came to the rescue.
Monica called and said she would stop by the farm to bring me a cup of Brandy. Like a good Boy Scout she already had a "plan". She told me that if she were to get pulled over, she would tell the law enforcement officer that the mason jar contained her husband's urine sample and she was on her way to the hospital with it.
Farm Fresh Apple Cider
After making a Facebook post to try and borrow a fruit press, I decided to break down and buy one and am so glad I did. There were three different sizes, so I took the easy way out and chose the middle size. Pressing apples was loads of fun especially with great friends like Monica and Lisa. Both were happy to help, but Lisa was the most excited. Lisa's family had an orchard and every year her uncle would bring a jug of fresh pressed apple cider to her family. She had not had fresh apple cider in many years. I was happy to share my cider as she shared memories of her childhood in the family orchard (Spencer Orchard). Pressing apples was a simple task and oooohhh the cider was so good. Some was consumed on the spot while the rest was either hot water bath canned or frozen to keep for winter. by choosing both methods of preserving I can decide which method I like best. My friend Angela and her granddaughter Rayleigh came to help me prune the apple trees in the spring. We even saved the pruned limbs to use for smoking our farm fresh beef.
Apple Cider Vinegar 4cagservice.com/recipes
Not wanting to let anything go to waste I used the the pressed apple scraps to make home made Apple Cider Vinegar. This is an easy recipe to follow. Apple Cider Vinegar has loads of healthy benefits. Do a quick Pinterest search and you will be amazed. When making Apple Cider Vinegar you can alter the recipe just a tad and create Hard Apple Cider. 4cagservice.com/recipes
I do have some apple scraps saved to try and make apple wine. I also have the supplies in now, so maybe my next post will be Do's and Don'ts on Making Apple Wine.
Fried Apple Rings 4cagservice.com/recipes
These were a tasty treat although I had trouble keeping the batter on the apple till I got it in the frying pan.
Last but not least was APPLE PIE. 4cagservice.co,/recipes
Now that the apples are stored away for winter I can use the fruit press to make Elderberry Syrup for the cold and flu season.
Stay tuned for the next episode.