It all started with an op shop visit...
I fell completely & totally in love with this basket....
Eli, upon surveying the basket, declared it " Perfect for apple~ ing"!
So now it is termed apple-ing!
( & if you're wondering about the spelling, neither appling or appleing looked correct ).
Apple- ing ( our family definition):
The process of locating one of our favourite wild apple trees & picking as many apples as we need & then coming home & making a years supply of apple sauce!
Of course every family fun day includes food. Dave spoilt us by taking us out to lunch...although he did make us eat in the courtyard (which we had entirely to ourselves). It was a perfect day & we enjoyed a delicious meal in the great outdoors!
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| OK so I really added this picture for Grandma :) |
We have a few wild apple trees that we pick from during our apple-ing days. One was already picked bare, but this one still had some fruit left on it.
These are rather small, sour apples with a floury texture. Certainly not eating apples. However I have found that they produce delicious apple sauce!
One of our favourite parts of this kind of day is travelling small country lanes. We enjoy exploring new terrain & finding new 'favourite hideaways'!
This day we found the cutest little farm tucked way away in the shadow of a hill. I hope to go back & see it when it's all green as I'm sure it will be a picture!
The day was rather warm, but autumn was beginning to announce itself with the obvious absence of the intense heat we've had during this past summer! In fact the temperature is truly perfect for an ex-Queensland girl this time of year!
I got to try out my Fowlers Vacola canning jars. I had purchased a couple of boxes of these jars a few years ago when I found them hidden in the back of a tiny second hand store. Since I had already used my screw top jars for the extra canning I have done this year ( I have doubled the amount this year ), I decided to locate the rings & clips that I would need to use them. I found these accessories were very reasonably priced so I purchased enough for all my jars & even some extra lids as some were a little worn.
I have always frozen my apple sauce before, but am acutely aware that butchering time is almost upon us & I have to find enough room for one large cow, 2 pigs & possibly some lambs as well. I need every cm of space I can find! Defrosting all 4 freezers is on my to-do list for the next week ( I told the children we would have snow!)!
I was really impressed with this canning system & look forward to filling the rest of the jars I own ( & now I know the price of the jars new, I'm going to look for them in all my favourite second hand shops ~ I can't believe how much they are brand new)!
I had 100% of the jars seal which is much more successful than the screw top jars I've previously used.
We are so blessed to not only enjoy a day together as a family foraging for wild apples, but being able to enjoy the fruit of our labour all year round ( the children helped me with every step of the apple sauce making)!
How have you been enjoying your autumn/ spring?
Have a wonderful day friends!
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