Sitka or Bust: Commute The World

I’ve been consumed with apples for the past month or so. Consumed with their smell, their taste, the way they peel and how they can be used to make all sorts of fall recipes. I don’t know for sure how many apples I’ve peeled, but a bushel is the equivalent of eight dry gallons so I’ve at least peeled 24 dry gallons worth of apples this season. I started out making crock potfuls of applesauce because having a stockpile of that will never let a person down, plus the mixture of cinnamon and bubbling apples really gets the house smelling nice. I’ve made probably three gallons of applesauce, which is excessive once you think about it, but those apples really do cook down to next to nothing after a few hours in the crock pot.

Strange thing too, a lot of states won’t allow dropped apples to be sold to the public because they are “tainted or dirty,” or whatever. New Hampshire can apparently sell the apples that fall from the tree limbs, which means you are guaranteed to get a ripe apple rather than a firm and sour disappointment.  The only down side to this purchasing method is that you must have a use for a bushel of apples; they don’t keep well for longer than a week. This gives me plenty of time though, between me just scarfing the apples, a crock pot load and a dehydrator going simultaneously they’re gone in no time. Also, keep in mind that I’m using an ancient crock pot. But damned if the girl still didn’t cook like a pro.

Coring the apples first always helps me with the peeling. My kitchen has this dandy little gadget that will take the core out in a tube that you can just chuck, leaving the apple neatly shaped (not that it matters when they turn to mush in the crock pot). One the pesky stem and innards are gone I just run the peeler over the entire apple and leave them skinless and bobbing in the sink while I work on the rest of them.  I’m a guesser through and through, so mainly when I think I’ve got enough peeled for the entire crock pot, I’ve always got two extra apples. I eat them to destroy the evidence.

Cut them into centimeter thick chunks or slices and fill that pot to the brim, add a quarter cup of water too, just to make sure you get things going smoothly. Cover it up and let it cook for a while, maybe an hour on high just to soften them up. You may look into the pot and think nothings happening because the top layer of apples still look pristine, but if you take a spoon and stir em up you’ll find that most of the bottom half have turned into a frothy apple goo. Stir away because you are ready to add the extra bits of deliciousness.

My crock pot is about medium-sized, so adjust as needed for larger or smaller batches, but really just go by taste; that’s the best way to determine recipes. I melt a quarter stick of butter together with a dash of nutmeg and a dash of cinnamon, then stir in about a third of a cup of brown sugar. I like to taste apples in my sauce, not just sugar. It forms a strange, peanut-buttery looking paste that I just plunk right on top of the pot, no need to stir because I like it to disperse throughout from above.

If you like yours chunky, cook it less, or just cut bigger pieces of apple. Sometimes if I don’t like the consistency I’ll just add a few freshly cut slices to the top after its already done and put the lid back on so they cook, but not to disintegration.