So apparently, we didn't have a summer here in California. We didn't have a spring either, come to think of it. We plowed right past the sunny days and languorous nights into rain on the pavement and perpetual dusk, which I'm okay with because a) I hate the heat, b) yeah right are we over the drought and c) APPLES! Case in point...
Pretty apples, dappled apples, sunset colored stripey apples.
And maybe my favorite kind of all: free.
Now, you know how I feel about free produce--spread the love! Last week, I noticed an apple tree on my block. Some sort of green, tart cooking apple. No one was touching it. Every time I walked by, there were more and more littering the ground. So, this Sunday, I shimmied up the tree and helped myself.
Then of course there was the debate in my kitchen (pretty much between me and the cat but who's counting) over what to do with these beauties. Pie or sauce? Muffins or spice bread? Some sort of French tart?
What won out was an attempt at jelly that turned out something even better. Cut up the apples, cores and all, and throw them into a large stockpot. Cook unit the mixture thickens and looks like porridge. Scoop into mesh jelly bags and let drip overnight. Then simmer the juice with honey, sugar, and spices. Those are real chunks of fresh ginger in there!
Because I cut back on the amount of sugar requested, it didn't thicken as much, and instead produced a glorious, amber, spiced wonder--sweet Johnny Appleseed, it's apple pie syrup! Pancakes at my house!
Any ideas for turning this stuff into some sort of pie-themed cocktail are welcome (ahem, Lydia). I have brandy and I'm not afraid to use it!
