I think I may be done ... at least for this week

I had another preserving frenzy day yesterday and I think I need to take a break for a couple of weeks!

We have a huge apple tree in our yard.  I can't even begin to describe how big this thing is or how many apples it produces.  I can estimate thousands; a large number of which fall before they are ripe.  I think in the process of picking up all of the windfalls, we provide endless entertainment for the neighbours and provoke curses from the garbage guys.  Thankfully our town has a composting program.

So, given my new canning energy and my feelings of guilt over the thousands of apples that don't get used by anyone and end up as compost, I decided to get cooking.  I should tell you that I did try to give the better apples away to a food charity a few years ago but by the time the agency came to pick them up (they didn't encourage drop offs), they were rotting on the front porch (they last about one day off the tree).  It should also be noted that the apples in the photo aren't actually at full ripeness but very few stay on the tree until they are fully ripe so I generally use them for cooked applications.

On the bright side, this year there are a large number of apples within my reach so I was able to pick them off the tree instead of the ground which meant fewer bruises and fewer worms.

And just to keep up, the zucchini continues to sneak up on me, becoming massive before I can blink an eye.  Three zucchini went to neighbours and these guys went into more relish, pickles and a zucchini butter from Food 52. I couldn't find the energy to make the muffins I had planned.  Since I'm going to get the oven going tonight for a roasted ratatouille, I think I'll make them then.

Anyway, back to the apples, Food in Jars had quite a few interesting apple recipes and I made two kinds of apple jam and apple sauce.  The first, a honey lemon apple jam, tasted quite nice on toast this morning.  Regarding the second, apple almond honey conserve, I'm still a bit on the fence.  The applesauce tasted quite nice, spicy, sweet and apple-y.

That is all for this weekend.  I have basically been relaxing today, making progress on some knitting, reading and now watching Milos get soundly trounced by Nadal in Montreal.

As for canning, by the time the tomatillos are ripe, I might be ready to get the engine going again.  Until then, I'm listening to podcasts and out knitting on the deck.