Many folks like us have an apple tree nearby. Some years the blossoms are profuse. Apples may or may not grow as a result. Bugs and other maladies can affect any plant or tree as it seeks to produce fruit. And when fruit appears, bugs may still mess with the crop. But this year turned out to be different.
Our fruit trees did the unexpected. Tree branches hung low under the weight of the fruit they bore. Two nice branches covered with fruit even broke off.
Many pears and apples fell to the ground before being fully ripe. The edible ones got eaten fresh or put into an apple crisp or apple pie. Some were processed into canned apple pie filling and applesauce. Others got pared, sliced and frozen for use this winter.
With that work done, the day finally arrived when we felt it the time to harvest the pears and one of the apple trees. So my family steadily picked the fruit, filling wire basket after wire basket. When we ran out of wire baskets, we gathered and filled five-gallon buckets,
Our Heavenly Father, who created these trees and their fruit, “filled our cup” to overflowing.
We have been blessed by a tool we bought many years ago from our former neighbors. We have used it for many years. The tool is an antique apple cider press.
The press is a heavy contraption. So it takes a bit of effort to move it from the house to the outdoors. That makes it great and practical to invite friends over to help us keep the fly wheel turning and plopping the apples or pears into the grinding box. Besides, we enjoy having their company as we all work.
This year our new neighbor is our son and his family. They joined us for this event.
Generally, the cider pressing job takes us a few hours. It is a fun experience (as long as the hornets and bees stay away from all of the sweetness we expose.) This time the job required a whole workday. We had to break for lunch. Later, we had a popsicle break to help the churners cool off from the warmth of their physical work.
My part in this activity kept me inside the kitchen. I had washed 28 quart jars a day earlier to get a head start on the canning process. In years past, I had canned up to 32 quarts of juice on cider-making day. The method I use includes filtering the juice, heating it to steaming, bottling it in quart jars and boiling them in a water-bath canner. One canner can hold 7 quarts.
The churning went on and on till later afternoon. Those working outdoors looked exhausted from their hours of manual labor. But finally, the press got washed up and put away. The cleanup went well. Work was done in time for evening chores. But there I was with gallons and gallons of juice filling my kitchen. Our daughter helped me on into the late evening to finish the processing.
At the end of the long, long day, we had canned 81.5 quarts of apple/pear juice. We did many times more than an apple-a-day’s-worth of volume.
We can give thanks to our Lord when He gives a little crop and when He supplies a big one. He is the Blessed Supreme Provider.
Pare and slice apples, (enough to fill a 9×13” pan nearly full.) Sprinkle apples with ½ cup to 1 cup sugar.
Topping:
1½ cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1½ cup sugar
1 cup butter
Mix topping ingredients like a pie crust and spread over apples. Bake at 325°F for 40 minutes.
Recipe credit: Carol Vagts
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