Loads of apples!

[dormant374]

My workplace has a few big apple trees out the back, and I noticed that some of the branches were so laden down with apples that they were nearly touching the ground. When I asked the boss what she planned to do with them she said they normally all just fell off and rotted, and I was welcome to take as many as I want.

I've already collected two big boxes and when the weather clears up a bit I plan to get more. The question is, what to do with them all? They're cox-ish eating types, and very delicious, but there's no way I'll eat that many. I'm thinking: Wine and chutney.

Any other good ideas?

[baldowrie]

why not stew some up and freeze them

I am sure Stonehead could help you out in the cider recipe

Give some to the local primary/play school for the kiddies to taste fruit.

Give some to care homes or hospital patients

[dormant374]

Good ideas!

Already done the last one though - My workplace is a care home, so I've picked a load for the kitchen. Why they ever buy apples is beyond me.

[2steps]

you may find schools aren't allowed to use them as there from an 'unknow source' my childrens school send home any sweets etc that are brought in so that parents can make the choice. Seems a little crazy but from the schools point of view I can understand even if I think its mad

I collect loads of apples from my neighbours tree (same story really) and mainly make pies, crumbles or bags of stewed apples for the freezer. Apple and elderberry crumble is delicious :) you can use them to add pectin to jams too.

Do you have a stables near you? they may use some for the horses. I used to work in a riding school and apples were a favorite treat

[dibnah]

CIDER

[Millymollymandy]

I'm giving a lot of my windfall apples away to friends with horses.

Why not do a deal with some horsey people - apples for lots of nice horse muck!

Also have you space to store apples? Pick them direct from the tree and don't try to store the windfalls.

[dormant374]

That would be a great idea, but we have a horse living with us already and have more muck than we can handle! He's already had a few of the windfally ones. I quite like the cider idea, and I've dug out the winemaking bits.

[Sue]

I lost my dad earlier this year, and planted two dwarf apple trees in his memory.
They have a wind chime in so he can let me know he's there when he feels like it. Makes me smile when I hear him!
Anyway - they even gave me fruit which I didn't expect this year, only half a dozen but tasted lovely
Could someone tell me how to keep ants off! I lost the two biggest most gorgeous apples as they hung to grass level and got eaten whilst I didn't notice! I was gutted!

[Shirley]

Hi Sue

I really don't know how you would keep the ants off... I love the idea of the windchimes in the trees though... I hope you smile a lot

[Pilsbury]

Get the kitchen at work to turn a load into jam and sell it to raise residents funds, lots of relatives will buy it. Also apple pies. get the kitchen to put baked apples on the menu a couple of times and get them to dry a load of slices in their large industrial ovens over night to be used later in the year as stewed apple and custard or again sell to the relatives as fund raising, or of course you could just bag them up and offer them to relatives as apples.
Make sure their is always a bowl of apples in the dining room and /or lounge and offer them to staff as well.
I hate to see any natural resorce wasted if it can be used for an good perpouse ans feel especially strong about fruit trees, i hate to see it rotting .