Get some, give some

So, what are we up to these days around our house?

I believe the grand total here was 270 pounds of organic gala apples, 125 pounds of freestone peaches, and 60 pounds of very ripe pears.

We're up to our eyeballs in fruit!  That's what!  Ever year toward the end of September, Andrew's grandfather makes the trek from Omak, Washington to Billings to bring our family all kind of wonderful fruit from the apple harvest over there. At one time Grandpa Strong owned a nine acre orchard and, while he no longer owns the orchard, he still has friends who own them, and has access to some of the finest apples you can find anywhere. This year, since Grandpa is getting into his upper 80's Andrew and his mom made the 10 hour trip out to see Grandpa and to pick apples. As you can see, they went a little nuts!

So many to choose from!

I believe the grand total here was 270 pounds of (FREE!) organic gala apples, 125 pounds of freestone peaches ($12/25#, 60 pounds of (free!) very ripe pears, 5+ pounds of organic tomatoes, and I still have no idea how much zucchini there is. By Sunday night we had canned 8 quarts of pear sauce and 7 quarts of yummy pear juice, and had put 12 quarts of pear sauce into the slow cookers to cook down for pear butter.  after slow cooking for about 45 hours, they canned up 6 half pints and  8 quarter pints of both gingered and spiced pear butters.
By last night (Wednesday night) we had canned 55 quarts of unbelievably delicious sliced peaches in light honey syrup, with two casualties (I just hate the dull, watery thud of a jar of beautiful fruit exploding in the canning pot...<sniff>), as well as 35 quarts of amazing applesauce.

deliciously unsweetened pear juice.  yum!

Last fall, Andrew's mom graciously gifted us with an unbelievable 120 pounds of local raw honey, or as I like to call it, "liquid gold." Unlike the cooked, dead, brown stuff you buy in the store, raw honey has a beautiful golden or amber color, depending on what kind of nectar the bees had access too, and the flavor is beyond superior to that of the grocery store stuff. To be honest, I've only recently become a honey snob. Never in my life did I enjoy honey. I grew up with it always in the house, but it was always the pasteurized variety that just had that funky aftertaste to it that never wanted to go away. And then a few years ago my horizons were broadened, my palate was enlightened, and I had my first taste of the unbelievably delicate sweetness that is Raw Honey. I have not looked back. While I still can't bring myself to use it in coffee, I have worked to substitute it for sugar as much as possible whenever it will not drastically affect the taste of whatever I'm making.  Now, do not be deceived, raw honey is quite expensive, and is something I would never be able to afford much of if not for my wonderful and generous MIL.  If you are not aware of the many amazing qualities of raw honey, please visit benefits-of-honey.com. Of course, I always take sites like this one with a grain of salt, but I am sure that many of their facts are right on.

Food mills are amazing things.  Note the skins on the left,
and the strained pears in the middle.  Beautiful!

I'm pretty sure that I started that ode to honey with a purpose, and... uh... yes, I did. It was to say that this year we have committed ourselves to canning exclusively with honey rather than sugar. There has always seemed to me, something inherently wrong with canning up beautiful jars of the finest healthiest produce and then filling it full of processed white sugar. So, armed with a 4 to 1 ratio of water and honey, we've done 48 quarts of pears, as well as the 55 53 quarts of peaches as well as some of the applesauce. This year, I will have no guilt about serving up canned goods to my little lovelies and then letting them drink the juice!

Apple Fairies

Speaking of the lovelies, since we have copious amounts of apples, we thought it might be nice to spread the love around the neighborhood. So, with much fanfare my little Apple Fairies flitted to the small apartment building across the street to brighten the evening of 8 older ladies who live alone, as well as the neighbors on both sides of us. A great time was had by all, we met a few neighbors we didn't already know, and we got to bless some sweet elderly ladies who spend their days mostly alone.

 So, what do we have left?

We went from this, to...

...this.

Now we get to finish off the rest of the apples, and wait for hunting season to commence! At least I have a few weeks before meat processing and canning begins.  :)
Thank God.