Alleviating apple guilt

It's been a busy fall around here, which means there hasn't been a lot of extra time to do things such as dealing with the apples on our three large apple trees. I really hate to see things go to waste, so this was one of those nagging things I really wanted to be able to get to. 

The calendar was free today, and while it did get a bit warm, it wasn't so hot that the thought of having a stove going for hours on end seemed doable. (The ongoing heat also played a role in avoiding the apples.) The first step was to head out and see what the apple situation actually was.

The trees were pretty bare. It has not been a good year for apples, especially compared to last year. But I picked what I could and ended up with two large baskets. They are not as pretty as last year's were, either, so it was a good thing I was just planning on doing applesauce and not trying to run them through the apple corer/peeler. It wouldn't have worked.

Here is what I salvaged. 

The red are from the two large trees in the little orchard behind the house and the yellow are from the tree on the other side of the horse pasture. I decided that I would be happy if I got seven quarts from them. 

It seems that I truly had no recollection of how the apple amounts worked out last year because I will be getting more than seven quarts. After evening out the baskets, I washed and starting working on the first basket. That ended up being 11 quarts.

I'll add all the jars sealed, which is very satisfying. 

Tomorrow I'll finish up the second basket. 

I'm anticipating another seven more quarts. It should be faster tomorrow since the apples are all picked and washed. I'd really prefer to not have it take all day. But it is totally worth it to not have the spectre of rotting apples on my conscience.