Fall Is Apple Time! Ant Time Too :(

Imagine my excitement and surprise when

B and T brought a huge box of homegrown Apples!

They came from her Aunt, who has 4 Apple Trees,

 ♥♥♥♥

and smell divine!

Simply delicious!

Visions of Applesauce, Cakes, 

Crisps and more danced through my head.

Right away I knew I wanted to make an Apple Hill Cake.

When we lived in Sacramento we used to visit Apple Hill every Fall.

Apple pickin', Craft Vendors, Antiquing, Kids Activities

and the aroma of ALL the baked goods

that the 50 different ranches make.

APPLE HILL CAKE

2 c. sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil

2 eggs

4 c. diced apples

2 c. flour

1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. baking soda

Combine sugar, oil and eggs.

Add diced apples.

Sift together flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking soda.

 Add to apple mixture.

Pour into 9x13 inch greased cake pan.

Bake for 1 hour and 350 degrees.

Serve warm or cold.

 

Yum!!

Next was Applesauce.
So I pulled out my vintage canning jars,
 that belonged to my Mother and Grandmother,
 and went to town.

I love having homemade Applesauce for Easter Dinner.

Chunky Applesauce

24 cups apples, cored, quartered and peeled

1 - 1 1/2 cups sugar

2 cups water

2 Tablespoons Cinnamon

In a kettle combine apples and 2 cups water.

Bring to boil;

reduce heat and simmer 8 - 10 minutes,

stirring often.

Mash with potato masher.

Add sugar and cinnamon,

mix thoroughly.

Bring to a boil again.

Spoon Applesauce into hot, clean jars,

leaving a 1/2' - 1" head space.

Wipe rims; adjust lids.

Makes 6 pints.

Water Bath Canning

Process in water bath for 20 minutes for pints or quarts.

Start timing when water boils.

Freezing

Prepare Applesauce as above.

Cool

Spoon Applesauce into freezer containers, leaving head space..

Seal, label, and freeze.

I made one batch Rustic Allpesauce by leaving the peels on.

Lots of vitamins in those peels. 

Garden Tip

What to do with all those Apple peels and cores....

Besides putting them into your compost pile, I found this 

method to keep ants away from your home.

Place apple pieces, cores, or apple peelings any where ants enter your home

or you have seen them enter the house.

There is something about the acid in the apple that will kill the ants

when they take it back to their own home!

I tossed those peels and cores all over the backyard!

"just feeding the ants" she said with a devilish grin.

I should be ant free any day now!