Recipes By Joe Scrizzi
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As I was getting ready to make breakfast today, I noticed that some of the apples on the counter really started to turn to the dark side, per say. The first thought that came to mind was simple applesauce. I got busy cutting away all the bad sections on the apples and placed them aside for now. Placed the peels and cores in a separate bowl for later use. Rough chopped the apples and in the saucepan, they went with a little water (or fruit juice) to start cooking.
Don’t throw out the peels/cores, these are good for making more infusions. Pictured on left is Whiskey topped apple peels and cores. Pictured on right is a slurry of water and sugar, to create Apple Cider Vinegar (recipes to follow). All the rotten parts trimmed earlier, can be chopped up and added to the garden to feed critters or made into compost. These 5 apples created 4 items, everything used!
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4 – 6 Apples (variety), fresh or old
Orange, Lemon rinds (opt.), remove peels for later use
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Water or leftover fruit juice
Add apples and a little water to saucepan and bring to boil. Turn the burner to low and allow it to soften. Mash into sauce consistency and/or leave some chunks (I like having it a little chunky). Continue to cook to allow sauce to thicken. In the photos you’ll see I added an orange, which I had on hand. It was dried up inside (no juice), quartered and mashed along with the apples to release any juice/oils. Remove from burner to cool, discard rinds (freeze or compost).
Uses for Apple Peels and Cores:
Infused Spirits:
Add to a pint jar and top with bourbon/whiskey/rum/vodka. Make sure everything is covered, seal tightly and give a good shake daily for 2 weeks on countertop (out of direct sunlight or near heat). After 2 weeks, taste. If flavors aren’t there, continue to infuse for another 2 weeks. After a month’s time, strain and enjoy!
Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar:
Pack peels and cores into any size glass jar and top with a mixture of warm water and sugar. 4 cups warm water + 6 T. sugar, whisk until dissolved. I split this recipe in half since I only had 4-5 apples. Place lid on jar and give a good shake. Remove lid place a coffee filter, cheesecloth, or similar item over top and secure with a rubber band or twine. Leave in pantry for 2 weeks. Compost or discard the peels and allow to ferment for another 2 weeks until it tastes like vinegar (to your liking).
The rotten parts of the apples, I just chopped smaller to help with decomposition in the garden.
This turned into a great Sunday morning project, that used apples in multiple ways! I’m looking forward in a months’ time to see how the vinegar and infused spirits turn out. In the meantime, I have a daily applesauce snack, with a dash of cinnamon. No sugar required!
Enjoy!