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 one can eat, however delicious it may be…
So, as we continue to honour our 10th Anniversary year with our ‘TOP10’ guides to all things orchard, here are 10 imaginative and fun ways to use up your apples.
1). Donate them to our Community Cider Hub! Or make your own cider 🙂
Our Local Fox cider is made from 100% unwanted apples, salvaged from the sad fate of rotting in London’s parks, gardens and orchards. Fruit donors get cider or juice in return, or support for their orchard. See our Drinks page for collection points, information and volunteer opportunities at our cider press. If you’re not in London but want to join the pressing gang, read our blog post on how to make your own cider.
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). Make 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 this Wiki How-to guide for instructions.
Tasty dried apple slices. (Photo from Wiki How-to, link above)
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. Recipe no.6 on this link from Beauty Vigour uses apples sauce, honey and oats to make a face mask.
5). Add them to salads
You have probably heard of the Waldorf Salad, made famous by a Faulty Towers sketch. But apples can 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. The photo below from MommyCoddle.com shows the results!
Apple prints by http://mommycoddle.com/2007/09/2007920apples-and-bananas-html/
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 for 6 – 8 servings from award-winning 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.
