Sunday, October 28

*NC Mountain Fresh Apples


If you read my last post, you recall that I recently made a trip to North Carolina. The timing was so perfect for so many things, such as it was peak season (for the fall colors in the mountains), and  I needed to spend some time with the best friend in the world, as well as the apple orchards were brimming over with this seasons juicy crop. I had been wanting to find some apples at rock bottom prices for canning and turns out the timing of my spur of the moment trip paid off!





Most of the orchards had their various apple selections for sale at the price of $26 (I think) per bushel. They of course sold them for half bushel, peck, half peck etc as well.  Some of the orchards had some bagged up and were selling them as "apple sauce" apples due to some bug stings, or possibly a bruise or two on some of the apples.  Making apple sauce was my plan with some of the apples, I was able to get two bags which made a bushel at the total price of $14. I was pretty thrilled.  A bushel of apples weighs about 45lbs, so this means I was able to get the apples for .31 per pound.  The apples that were bagged up (At Granddad's Apples in Hendersonville, NC) were so lightly damaged that I found myself wishing they had had more of them available.  But as it was my BFF and I bought all they had!  Great deal!


 Franziska and I really enjoying every moment of being in each others presence. So very grateful for dear friends who touch your heart and change you forever!

 Me looking really happy about my receipt and how much I just  "saved" by buying the bruised etc apple sauce apples!


Dreaming of planting an orchard on the back of our property! OH, wait, no I better leave the apple growing to NC so that I might make a trip to the mountains at least every October!

Pink Lady is Henry's favorite apple and trust me he has tasted many apples. He has always been an apple connoisseur.  I have apple cores that I collected over the years that he would leave under his bed, in a basket, and other various unacceptable places. I would also find them in places you would never expect to find a dried up apple core. I learned to pick them up and treasure what was left behind. Don't get me wrong, I didn't say, "Oh honey, you just put them where ever you want" but I tried to find joy in the messes sometimes. This was one of them that I learned to treasure. I now have a small basket  that holds some dried up apple cores from days gone by when my little guy still had his cute little primary teeth. 

 



This was taken at one of our favorite places to trip over to when I am in town, Lake Lure & Chimney Rock.  If you are ever in the area it really is a must see.  So much to take in, even if you don't buy a thing! The peaceful time by the bubbling Broad River is enough just in itself! Here is a YouTube of that area that you might enjoy.


 Once I got back home with our apples, Eric and I got right busy with peeling, coring and slicing. We love to work together on projects like this, we do make a good team.  I stumbled across a apple, peeler, corer, slicer while we were in a little General Store downtown there near Lake Lure.  I have, of course seen them before, but with having just bought two bushels of apples, I thought it might come in handy.  Turns out it was a great help and my beloved was glad I got it. Over the next few days I tried numerous apple fritter recipes trying to master the "fritter".   I ended up modifying one recipe to fit our desires and will post it for you all soon.  I think my dh could eat them breakfast, lunch and dinner but I am personally about frittered out.
 We were able to can 20 jars or so of apple sauce. I still have one half bushel that I plan to make apple butter with over the next week.  We also dehydrated a bunch as well. We all really enjoy munching on the apple slices as snacks, now to stretch them out... and not gobble them all up in one week.


Pears canned - check
Tomatoes canned - check
Potatoes canned - check
Apples canned - check
Pumpkins on the vine- will can
Cabbages growing swiftly - will make sauerkraut
and the list goes on and on as the seasons go.

We love being able to put up wholesome food for our family and looking for good prices, country fruit and vegetable stands are now something we keep our eyes opened for as well as grow as much as we can here at Erilyn.

3 comments:

  1. Thrilled to pieces for your great find and at such a great price to boot!!! So thankful that you and F. were able to steal away a precious few days. ~Trina

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  2. I visited Asheville, NC a couple of weekends ago and made a trip to the farmers market. Loaded up on apples, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and some of the best cabbages I have ever seen. Canned tomatoes and applesauce all last weekend! Don't you just love the NC mountains in the fall! I try to go every year. Lake Lure and Chimney Rock are awesome too!

    Lisa
    The Way Grandmama Does It

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  3. Me too Trina! Thanks! It was a great time, far too long had passed actually since we had roamed the mountain tops together! <3 Love you!

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