It’s been a while since I have actively participated in Tackle It Tuesday, but I think I figure that I have too many tackles each day and week to list just one! Plus they always seem to be the same which ends up being boring for my lovely readers.
This week though we tackled the apple tree. Well, not the tree exactly, the apples on the tree. You see, we have a granddaddy of a big old apple tree out in one of the fields and it produces pretty well each year. Because the weather has been a little cooler this year, the apples weren’t ready until last week (some still aren’t ready), so I decided that Sunday was the day to pick the apples. There were quite a few and most of them were huge! So exciting!!!!!
So out we all went (babies too) with the apple picker and a small bowl. It was apparent right away that we’d need a far bigger container for the apples, so we had to send Son1 in to get one of our big 36 gallon garbage bags. This worked very well (we ended up having to double it up though because the apples were too heavy for just one) as long as we could keep the babies from getting into it . . . “BALL!!!” – thud (you get the idea).
I truly wish that I had thought to take some pictures There were so many apples my sink was overflowing. We “processed” them all that night – peeling, coring and slicing every single apple. I ended up freezing 3 gallon size bags of sliced apples and making 7 quarts of applesauce that night. It was a little ambitious and I was getting a bit burned out by the time the last quart of applesauce was finished, but it was SOOOOO worth it!!!!
Overall, the resulting amount of uses from these apples won’t last long, but the memories will. The boys all joined me in the kitchen for the “processing” and got very involved in helping this year!!!! In the past they would just watch me for a little bit and then go merrily along their way anxiously awaiting the prize at the end of the day (apple crisp and/or warm, fresh homemade applesauce). This year Son1 went straight for the “Apple-Peeler-Slicer-Corer” thingy (which I am sad to say has seen it’s last apple season and I will have to figure out how to replace it) as I began cleaning the apples and getting out the knife, regular peeler and cutting board and began preparing huge bowls of lemony salt water to put the slices into.
As we began, one by one each of the other older boys came in to see what they could do to help. Donald Trump WannaBe (Son2) came in and was given the lovely job of picking up and throwing away all the scraps as we went along – a job he was thrilled to pieces to have and he was very serious about it. Then in came Mr. Instructor (Son3) asking what he could do (and ready to tell us all how it should be done), he ended up with the job of doling out the apples . . . give Big Brother the medium round ones and give mom all the huge and/or irregular ones. Even The Rock (Son4) came in to “help” and was given a little task to keep him happy.
There was lots of joking and talking and even a little competition here and there, but it was fun. I look forward to moments like that, memorable but completely spontaneous. They did get the ultimate reward – in addition to the great memory they made that night they (of course) got their coveted Apple Crisp. And tired as I was in the middle of making applesauce still I couldn’t help but smile as I heard the “Thank You mom”s and the “Oh this is so good”. Things really do taste sweeter when you have worked for them!