It’s September and the apples are in abundance! If you’re lucky (and skilled) enough to have a great crop of apples this year, but unsure what to do with them, this post is for you. Perhaps your relatives have had enough jars of apple chutney for Christmas, and there is only so much apple crumble you can eat, however delicious it may be…
Here are ten imaginative and fun ways to use up your apples.
1). Make your own cider (or donate to someone who does!)
Read our blog post on how to make your own cider or visit our fruit donation directory of organisations happy to take your apples from you.
2). Apple and onion gravy
Add some tanginess and extra flavour to your gravy with chopped apples. This is a delicious way to coat your sausages, whether pork or veggie. Here’s James Oliver’s recipe (for Toad-in-the-Hole with said gravy) using eaters, not cookers.
3). Apple slices
You can dehydrate apple slices as a healthy snack using an oven, a food dehydrator or even (in some parts of the world) the sun. See our PDF guide for instructions.
4). Try an apple skin cleanse
If you’re one for beauty regimes, you might welcome the knowledge that the acid in apples can smooth away dead skin cells; its pectin is said to be an anti-wrinkle agent too. This recipe uses apples, honey, yoghurt and oats to make a face mask.
5). Add them to salads
You have probably heard of a Waldorf Salad, but apples can actually be added to many kinds of salad. Since apples start to brown not long after chopping, it’s best to add them just before you eat, or use a mixture of lemon juice and water to prevent browning.
6). Make a stamp
Ditch rubber stamps and get creative with an apple-shaped one instead. Remember potato stamp making at primary school? This uses the same principle.
7). Cook them in a risotto
Risottos make for comforting, hearty autumnal meals, and apples can be a sweet addition. Here’s a recipe from Rowena G for a risotto with Gorgonzola and apples… mmm!
8). Bake a toffee apple tart
Hearing grumbles over never-ending crumbles? Try a tart instead. Here’s a recipe that will feed six to eight people from food blog, The English Kitchen.
9). Stick them in a soup
Add some vitamin C to your homemade soup by adding chopped apples. Try carrot, ginger and apple soup for a winter immunity boost, or add to a parsnip or celeriac soup for extra flavour.
10). Make ghastly shrunken Halloween heads!
Forget pumpkins – try a different carved ghoul this year: the shrivelled apple head! This is a really fun and imaginative way to use up the bruised, gnarly ones with your kids (or your inner big kid), from Sara Wells at Our Best Bites.
