Apple Pie season

[godfry n. glad]

...has begun.

Yesterday, a buddy and I did several hours of peeling, coring, and slicing on the better part of 40 lbs. of Gravenstein apples. Between us, we prepped about six gallons of sliced apples, enough for twelve apple pies.

Of course, we made two and savored our first apple pie of the season while watching the Colts versus the Giants. Mmmmmm....mmmm goooooood.

[lisarea]

Woo HOO!

I was just thinking about how close we're getting to apple pie season. We still have one in the freezer from last year's batch, so the timing's just about perfect.

[Sock Puppet]

We've got an apple tree in the new yard. I doubt we'll have enough to make pies with, as it's rather small. Besides, the Li'l Puppet will probably eat them before they make their way into anything.

[godfry n. glad]

What kind of apples, Sock?

Not every apple is destined to become pie filling.

Delicious apples, for example, make piss poor apple pies, yet they are the most available on American markets.

The best pie apple I can get is Gravenstein. I hear the McIntosh is an excellent pie apple, as well. But, they're not readily available 'round these parts. And Gravensteins don't ship well, and they are early ripening apples. During the usual football season, I rely upon Granny Smiths (a good pie apple, crisp and tart), usually cut with something a bit softer, but still tart, like Braeburns.

The tree may be small now, but they grow. If you learn how to prune it correctly (usually done in February or March), it will bear better and be easier to get at the apples.

[Sock Puppet]

Good bloody question. I don't know what variety, although I'm pretty sure it's not Red Delicious. They might be Granny Smith. It's a fairly young tree, only about 7-8 feet tall, and only has about a dozen apples on it. I'll see if I can get a good pic of it.

[biochemgirl]

I love fall! I am counting down the days until we go to the apple orchard. We really should plant our own trees since we have over 5 acres but haven't gotten around to it yet.

I always used Granny Smiths for baking, but last year we tried some Honeycrisp at the orchard and they were very good. I think I made a carmel apple crisp out of it that was delicious.

[godfry n. glad]

Yeah, Grannies are great for their flavor, but they have a tendency to not cook down as much as other apples. I think they just tend to be a very firm apple. The result is a kind of "chunky" apple pie. That's why I blend it with a softer apple.

I've never heard of Honeycrisp. I have heard of Winter Banana, which, from what I've heard, is used by orchardists as a pollinator. It produces a great secondary (like the Braemars) apple, because it's so big and fleshy. It still needs a tart apple to blend with, tho.

[Legs]

2 men, baking together?

[lisarea]

Yeah, Grannies are great for their flavor, but [...] just tend to be [...] very firm [...] The result is [...] kind of "chunky"[...]

[...]I have [...] Winter Banana, which [...] is [...] a pollinator. [I]t's so big and fleshy. It still needs a tart [...] tho.

godfry!

[Dingfod]

Aw, shaddup, you're not a granny yet, are ya?

[godfry n. glad]

She wishes. Still, I need a little tart.

[Dingfod]

Back on topic: I'm considering a second try at making the perfect apple pie. I hope it lives up to the one in my memory.