Apple Apple Apple

What to do with 52 pounds of apples? First, I left 12 pounds at my aunt's house. Hardly made a dent. Tommy loves the apple peeler/corer/slicer. His new favorite snack is "apple rings". Between the four of us, we ate another 6 apples this first day of Operation Apple.




I also peeled and cored some apples. I know some chickens that are going to be super happy to see me today! This might look like a lot, but you haven't seen the floor beneath the peeler... I've probably mentioned how I completely destroy the kitchen whenever I'm cooking.




No joke, I could be boiling water, but the second I get the pot out, it's on. Add something like "preserving apples", and forget it. Dishes and pots and ingredients everywhere ~ every available counter space, the floor, flour on the cupboards, the walls.



It's crazy.








But then there's that moment, when I'm ready to push up my sleeves and clean it all up.







There's no feeling like a clean kitchen, especially if it was monumentally filthy just an hour before!





Have you ever gotten head to toe covered in filth ~ like a few days camping with no facilities, or a serious garden overhaul that involves mud, sweat, and tears?






And then, after you think you just can't get any dirtier, you hop in the shower and sluice it all away? This is the kitchen equivalent of that feeling, when you're out of the shower and into your pajamas? You know that moment?





Only this one is even better, because instead of a ring around the shower that needs scrubbing, this one comes with jars of apple pie filling as a souvenir. Much better!

And yes, I know that's a lot of apples in there. I used Brit's recipe** for the filling and preserving, but I learned how to make apple pies from my mom. My last few pies have been positively anemic compared to usual, because I've been trying to squeak out a pie with just 3 or 4 granny smith's. (This is what the typical recipe might call for, in fact.) But to make my mom's apple pie, you'll want to double that. And so I did.

I also managed to make a mountain of baked apples. 15 pounds down, 25 to go!

** When I wrote to Brit and asked for her recipe, she was knee-deep in Turtledash mayhem, so rather than asking me to wait until she had time to transcribe her recipe, she sent me a link to this photo and asked if I could read the recipe card from there.... yep! I was cracking up. And making plans to share all future recipe swaps via a photograph. Isn't she clever?! Also, how much do you love that recipe card, "from the kitchen of Shirley"? Swoon!