The Apple Factory

Even though it is now December and I don't really miss the work of peeling, slicing, and cooking the apples I was so blessed to have this year. I did enjoy every single recipe I was able to create because of them!!! That is 14+ recipes total most of which are posted here on Blue Eyed Beauty! Let me show you the process I went through to create these recipes and then I'll give you the links at the very bottom!

I took a lot of photos of the process I used to take care of so many apples. This is because when I would sit down to peel/slice/cook I wouldn't do only a few, I would do a LOT so that it would be easier to make multiple things at once, especially when I was making Grandma Karon's Apple Pie because it required so many apples!!

The first step was gathering the apples, but I already wrote about that back in August...you can see that post here!

This is the very first batch of apples which came from the neighbors next door. I was SO excited, but I had no clue what I was getting myself into!! I think the big white bucket was filled another 20 times over a two month period.

This was our second batch of apples which came from neighbors down the road. Aren't they beautiful?! I am allergic to raw apples so I didn't actually eat any raw, but everyone said they liked these best because they were crunchy. We think they are Granny Smiths.

The next step was to select a few apples, wash them off well, and put them to dry. I chose to put the apples in a colander and then stack the colander in another bowl to catch the water.

I would set up everything I would need for the process of what I called "The Apple Factory" on the kitchen table. Let me show you each item and explain why it was there:

A large cutting board, knives, and a peeler. I would pull a few apples onto the cutting board so they were ready to use. First I would peel them, and then when I came to a bad spot or gross spot (I only came across 1 worm the whole time I peeled apples, Thank you Jesus!!) I would use the little knife to cut it out. The bigger knife was used to cut the good parts of the apple away from the core.

I always had a large mouth mason jar or two present to stuff the good parts of the peelings into (not shown here) and in the other jar I would put the cores of the apple. This was supposed to be an attempt to make my own Apple Cider Vinegar but it was a HUGE FAIL which you can read about here if you're interested. I will warn you that it's quite gross.

One bowl was used for the gross parts of the apple. This was so I could put them in our composter bin. Near the end of the apple factory I did realize that our compost would need a LOT of leaves added to it to even out all the peelings I had added to the mess, but it was worth it.

I had a large crockpot filled with cold water to help keep the apples from turning too brown while I was still peeling and chopping. This worked pretty well for me. When I was ready to use the apples I would drain the water and then measure out what I needed for the recipe I was going to use.

Some apples were frozen on cookie sheets and then stored in ziploc bags in the freezer for use down the road when there would be no more fresh apples in the house. I'm SO glad I did this because I still have cravings for some of my favorite apple recipes and am able to make them because I thought to freeze apples!

The first few days I peeled apples I saved seeds from both the red and the green apples so that when Autry & I have our own place one day I can grow my own apple trees. Even though this was a lot of work I did enjoy all the food I was able to make and the smiles on everyone's faces when they tried something new I had created.

Here is another day of the apple factory. The plastic bags were used to throw away bad parts of the core/peelings. The items I had on the table depended on what I planned to make that day. One day I attempted to make apple peel jelly...which was also a fail, but I didn't end up writing about that.

Over all I would have to say that The Apple Factory was a great experience and I would do it again!



1. Apple Breakfast Cake; 2. "Baked" Apple Oatmeal; 3. Grandma Karon's Apple Pie. 4. Crockpot Apple Butter; 5. Fried Apples; 6. Apple Pecan Spice Bread; 7. Apple Oatmeal Spice Drop Cookies; 8. Apple Oatmeal Breakfast Cake; 9. Apple Raisin Bran Muffins; 10. Cinnamon Apple Swirl Bread; 11. Apple Oatmeal Pancakes; 12. Healthy Applesauce Muffins; 13. Apple Pecan Cake; 14. Healthy Crockpot Applesauce.

That's all I have for now! I hope you enjoyed this post and will enjoy the recipes I have shared with you so far! :)

Related Posts: Apple Pickin' September.