Gentlemen that have land and living, put forward in the name of God: graft, set, plant and nourish up trees in every corner of your grounds, the labour is small, the cost is nothing: the commodity is great, yourselves shall have plenty… (John Gerrard, from ‘The Herbal or General Historie of Plante’, 1575)
An autumn morning task this country gent has set himself is the chipping of our garden orchard’s cooking apples. This sees me taking some three or four hefty Arthur Turners’, peeling and coring them before slicing the flesh into roughly 2 x 1 cm chips. Other varieties of cooking apple are just as good of course; Bramley’s, Howgate Wonder, Blenheim Orange or whatever is at hand. You can use dessert apples too, but because they’re juicier they’re more liable to stick, so need a little extra care in handling. It’s worth it though for the intense sweet flavour captured. Our favoured variety is James Grieve, a prolific dual purpose Scottish variety which suits our more exposed north of England upland setting.
Failures as much as success has set my course to establish this mini cottage industry. I’ve found that a non-stick perforated pizza pan is ideal. I lay pieces out on it before popping it into the bottom (slow) Aga oven for 30’ in order to kick start the drying process. That’s warm enough to get things going but not hot enough to set them breaking down and starting to bake. The steamy aroma released as I take them out is a lovely one to breathe in.
Next stop is the slatted shelf about the boiler in the bathroom, where it stays for at least 24 hours to allow the dry heat to complete the process. It’s not so good when damp clothes need to be in there airing. When that’s the case the round tray is relocated on top one of the aga lid covers to continue drying out. An overnight shift should do the trick.
Once satisfied they’ve dried sufficiently – and this is where the trial and error does apply – the chips get stored in glass jars (often old instant coffee jars) and put in the larder. You’ll need to keep an eye on them to check that no mould grows. That’ll happen if they’re not sufficiently desiccated and/or they’ve been packed too closely, not allowing enough air to circulate.
These desiccated reminders of autumnal fruitfulness will gradually be gradually blended into breakfast cereals or mixed with other dried fruits and nuts for snacks. Warning: they ‘re addictive fodder for visiting toddlers, teenagers and old friends who’d easily devour the lot. You don’t have to live in a property with an aga or have an airing cupboard. Any warm place will do. May take a couple of days for the drying operation to complete in that case, but then, what’s the hurry?
Other ways to process apples at home? Simple uncomplicated juicing of dessert varieties provides the best apple drink you’ll ever taste when consumed fresh. Just core and put the unpeeled fruit, chopped into the juicer, keep it cool and allow at least 24 hours for it to settle and clear before carefully pouring off the cleared liquor into a bottle. Your produce will easily keep for a week or so if kept in the fridge or a cool place. Chances are though you’ll devour it all in a day or two. If freezing in plastic bottles or containers remember to allow enough room in each for liquid expansion when frozen.
I like to puree the cookers too. More peeling, coring and thin slicing them for the big pan. Then have fun adding nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger to taste along with small cupful of brown sugar and of water. Stir the mix occasionally over a gentle heat and will sometimes put the pan into a low temperature oven to complete the process. Once the resultant puree has cooled I ladle it into plastic bags for storing in the freezer. Apple in this form is a welcome addition to porridge and cereals, as part of a desert or with ice cream…. More fine tastes of autumn to savour all the year round.
To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees / And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core; (From ‘Ode to Autumn’ by John Keats).
