What To Do With Apples From the Backyard Orchard
Processing & Food Preservation — by Ermest Rando November 29, 2012
by Ernest Rando
This post is a general how-to for preserving apples. We have a 3-ish acre orchard (mostly apples) that is quite mature and in need of some tender loving care. We have many apple trees that could be replaced and we believe the orchard is in need of greater tree diversity as well. But it is still an amazing orchard to spend time in with friends or just by yourself. This year we built two chicken coops and experimented with raising chickens in the orchard. We learned a lot of things and are eagerly anticipating next year while enjoying the meat from our harvest throughout the winter. (For more about the chickens, visit this Midwest Permaculture Blog post.)
This year we harvested over 25 bushels of apples. We made over 50 gallons of hard and soft cider, 12 lbs of frozen apple bits, a few gallons of applesauce, several bags of dried apples, and we also canned a bunch of jars of apple chunks as well. We did as much as time allowed us to do and we were able to have many community events where folks in the neighborhood helped out and got to learn and practice their apple preserving skills.
So here are some pictures, helpful tips, and elaborations of this year’s apple journey:
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