“And I wake up in the morning
With my hair down in my eyes and she says hi
And I stumble to the breakfast table
While the kids are gonna to school goodbye
She reaches out and takes my hand
And squeezes it and says how you feeling hon
And I look across at smiling lips
That warm my heart and see my morning sun
And if that’s not lovin’ me then all I’ve got to say …
God didn’t make little green apples
And it don’t rain in Indianapolis in the summertime
There’s no such thing as Doctor Suess
Disneyland or Mother Goose is no nursery rhyme
God didn’t make little green apples
And it don’t rain in Indianapolis in the summertime
And when myself is feelin’ low
I think about her face aglow and ease my mind…”
-Little Green Apples/Dean Martin
{a favorite song of mine}
Using a step stool, I reached the highest shelf in the pantry and pulled down the dusty apple corer. It has been a while since I have used this contraption, as I have found it easier to simple core and peel the apples with a simple knife. This time, however, I knew I would have more helpers if I secured a little old fashioned apple corer to the counter to help process the table full of {free} apples that needed cutting.
With having so many big and little ones, it’s wonderful to re-live those fun, magical childhood moments – like watching mommy pull out the apple peeler … the two little boys eyes lit up as they watched the wonderful swirls of apple skins come tumbling out of the little contraption and pile onto the table.
“May I try it?” the four year old asked excitedely, his fingers just anxious to start the little twirling action that produces such a fun, fancy apple-delicious treat.
His little brother watched in sheer amazement as a regular apples turns into a twisty spring of juicy goodness.
Having boys – and I’m only four years into the journey – is so different than raising girls. I love seeing how their eyes and minds work in such a different way than my little ladies. Anything involving machinery or screws and buttons captures their interest for hours …
October has come and gone, but I am still processing our abundant apple harvest. In this very strange year, the Lord has blessed our family in many simple and quiet ways.
We specifically sought out an orchard that would be not a problem with such a large family — and God led us to a FREE orchard that allowed us to pick all the windfall apples we wanted.
We came home with many bushels of lovely, amazing apples! So far, this has been turned into apple cider, apple pie filling and apple butter.
Here is the recipe for the pie filling:
Apple Pie Filling
5 cups peeled, sliced apples
2/3 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp butter
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a pan. Cook until the apples are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Combine 1/4 cup water with 2 tbsp cornstarch. Stir into apple mixture and cook for 1 minute. Cool before filling unbaked pie shell & topping with a top crust. Brush pie crust with a little beaten egg or milk. Bake at 420F until crust is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Maybe longer if apples are not cooked.
To can this pie filling … only lightly cook the apples and omit the butter and cornstarch. Add a dash of thickener {clear gel, not cornstarch} until the desired thickness is reached. Fill jars as usual Process in a water bath canner for 25 minutes.
And now I leave you with one of my favorite songs … I love Dean Martin’s voice … and his family photos are so precious …
by Gigi
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