Yummm

We finally made it to the orchard this afternoon and came home with 4 bushels of apples (only two were for me!), along with two gallons of cider. Yummmm.

Mom and I worked together after supper and got a batch of "lard can apple butter" ready to go. We used one 1/2 bushel bag full and 1/3 of another half bushel to fill it up. The can's sitting on the stove, ready for me to turn it on to cook tomorrow. We plan to work up all the apple butter tomorrow afternoon, and while it cooks in the oven, we're hoping to make a batch of applesauce.

Thursday, we're planning to make apple pie filling. I also want to dry some apples, since those are always a huge hit at our house.

Looking forward to seeing my canning pantry full again with the fruits of our labors, looking like so many jewels on the shelf, just waiting for us to pick one and open it for some real delicious eating.

Yes, the domesticity has definately bit me here. :) That is a good thing. Definately.

The remaining apples after our batch of apple butter was prepared. One bag of Arkansas Black, one bag of Winesap, and one bag of Granny Smith. The apple butter was made from the other bag of Granny Smith. It's so interesting to taste the different types of apples. They really do have different tastes and textures.

The lard can sitting on the stove, full of deliciousness. It'll sit all night and I'll turn it on in the morning, and after bringing it to a boil, will let it boil for 3 hours before putting it through the sieve and cooking it down in the oven. This one lard can will make 20 pints of apple butter.

Will pull out a loaf of bread to rise in the morning so we can have fresh bread and butter with warm apple butter on it as a treat tomorrow afternoon. Yummmmmm!