The Portion of my Inheritance

ONCE . . . . long ago, I had the most amazing apple tree.  For years I reaped plump, delicious, succulent apples. I spent the late fall season making apple pies, apple crisp and applesauce, filling my freezer full of all things apples. 

But one spring as it began to blossom and grow tiny little apples, it took a terrible turn and died. Since then I have planted apple tree after apple tree, to no avail.  

I have two apple trees planted now, and so far they are looking good, but it will be a couple of more years before I will get any fruit. So Azure Standard will have to fulfill my apple craze for now.

And it begins.   

To dehydrate the apples, I slice the apples and sprinkle them with cinnamon, then bake them at 150 degrees for around 6-8 hours, turning them every couple of hours.

I LOVE this little gadget!

This is my first year of canning applesauce. I cooked the apples, covering them with water until they were tender, then added 1/2-3/4 cup sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon, then I pureed them in my blender.  

I made sure my jars and lids were sterilized before I put the applesauce in them. I hot water bath the jars for 30 mins. 

This is also the first time I made apple pie filling in a jar.  I followed the recipe from:

http://www.motherearthliving.com

I used arrow root instead of cornstarch.

It took a few Saturdays to finish, and actually, I am not done, but I will keep on keeping on until I am finished and every apple is put up.

The dehydrated apples were a big hit and I have since made a couple more batches. They are Aria’s favorite so I try to have some for her when she visits. 

And what can I say about the apple pies?  YUMMY!!

I am always sad when apple season is over. Hopefully there is enough to get me through til next year.

And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”  Mark 4:26-29

And let’s not forget the pumpkin seeds.        

After pulling the seeds out and cleaning all the stringy, slimy stuff off, I washed them super good . . .                             

then boiled them in salt water for ten minutes.              

I dried them off on a paper towel–they do not have to be completely dry, but pretty dry.    

I put them on a cookie sheet, rubbed olive oil on them and salted them pretty good.       

Then into the oven, 325 for 20 minutes stirring half way through.    

The seeds were amazing and I loved them. I finished up the last of them today and can’t wait to make another batch! 

He answered and said to them; “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.”         Matt. 13:37