From juice to jelly, six top tips for using bumper apple crop

APPLE growers have reported a bumper harvest but if you have a glut, how are you going to store them? You’ll probably have already got through early varieties, which don’t keep. Later varieties can be left on the tree until mid-October, unless really windy weather is predicted. Here’s how to pick and store them, plus six ideas for using them.

The way the fruit feels when you pick it will also help you assess if it’s ripe. Lift the fruit in your hand, twist it gently and if it comes off the tree easily then it should be ripe. Be careful when picking them as one bruise or blemish will cause the apple to rot. The little bit of stem should stay in the apple too.

The traditional method of storing apples is to use wooden trays, placed on top of one another leaving space for ventilation. You can also store apples in polystyrene containers with holes in them, or in fibre trays. Wrap each apple in newspaper and place them folded side down in the tray, ensuring the fruits aren’t touching. Store them in a frost-free, cool, dark place which isn’t too dry.

Here are six ways to preserve your apples

If you don’t have anywhere to store them, consider investing in a fruit press. Freshly pressed juice will keep in the fridge for a few days. Or, if you have plenty, freeze the juice in plastic bottles.

Apples make a great addition to chutneys, most of which will keep in a sealed jar for up to a year.

If you have a slow cooker, it is ideal for making apple butter to spread on toast or to glaze ham with. The peeled, cored and chopped apples are mixed with sugar (or maple syrup, if you want to cut out the refined sugar), cinnamon, cloves and salt and then cooked slowly for nine to 10 hours until the mixture is thickened and dark brown, ready to transfer into sterilised glass jars.

4. Cook and freeze

Cooked apple, whether it’s still chunky enough to go into a pie or soft and smooth enough for a sauce, freezes beautifully. Just peel, core, chop into large chunks, add sugar to taste and a little water to stop the apples sticking to the bottom of the pan. Keep an eye on them and cook according to how soft you want the pieces. Allow them to cool and transfer to airtight containers before labelling and putting in the freezer. They will keep for months.

5. Make crab apple jelly

If you have a glut of crab apples, wash them and cut them up without peeling or coring, put them in a large saucepan and add enough water to just cover the fruit. Simmer until the fruit is soft and has broken down, then strain through a muslin or tea cloth without forcing the liquid out. This may mean leaving them overnight.

Measure the juice and return it to a clean pan, warming it, adding 10 parts juice to seven of sugar and stir until dissolved. Bring to the boil and continue boiling until setting point (about half an hour), when it will solidify on the back of a spoon. Remove any surface scum, pour it into warm sterilised jars, cover and leave to set. Once you have opened the jar, keep it in the fridge and it should last a few weeks.

6. Dry them

Peel, core and finely slice your apples across, so they form circles with a hole in the middle. Dunk them in a bowl of water, adding a little vinegar or lemon juice to stop them going brown, then leave for half an hour. Dry them on a tea towel and place on stainless steel cooling racks and transfer to a barely warm oven for a few hours, until they are leathery and dry to the touch. Once out of the oven and cooled, store in an airtight container. They should keep for several months.