Oranges...Apples...they are the same, right?

  After the couple of hard freezes that we had this past winter, I was afraid that our citrus trees were just about kaput!  We did lose all of the lemon and lime trees but the Satsuma, Navel Orange and grapefruit trees must be of hardier stock.  Each one lost all of its leaves and looked a good bit worse for wear a couple of weeks after the cold spells but, now, they all appear healthier than ever.  Perhaps that old saying "That which does not kill us makes us stronger." speaks a certain truth.  

  Today as I was out cutting grass and trimming a bit in the yard, I could smell the sweet aroma of the wisteria blooms.  The yard always smells so divine this time of year!  But, something was different than just a few days ago.  The scent had changed.  I pondered about this until I noticed that the Satsuma trees were in full bloom!  Usually, they bloom at a slightly later date than the wisteria but this year, the warm sunshine pulled the blooms earlier.  The trees were filled with blossoms.  Seeing this caused me to check the other citrus trees and, sure enough, they are loaded with buds as well.  Hopefully, winter is through for the year and no late freezes will damage the tiny fruits.

  The bloom-filled Satsuma trees made me smile.  It was just this past November when Mark and I shipped a box of the fruit to our little granddaughter in Georgia.  When the box was opened, Mary was so happy to see the fruit.  When her mama, Joanna, asked "What is that, Mary?"  The sweet tot smiled, picked up a Satsuma, held it to her face and said "Mmmm!!  Apple!"  Now every time I think of Satsumas or even of something delicious, her innocent exclamation comes to mind. Children are amazing!  

  So, given we have no unforeseen weather instances that damage the fruit, Mary will receive her box of Satsumas in late fall!  Mmmmm!  Apples!  

A is for Apple..

I hate to shop! To me, grocery shopping is one of the worst punishments that could ever be handed down to a person. When finally I do break down and head to the grocery store, I will run in and get exactly what is needed and no more. I want to get out of there as fast as I can so looking around or "shopping" is far out of the question. I am fortunate though, to have a husband that loves to shop. He can spend hours in a store, list in hand, roaming up and down each aisle. I do believe he has the entire shelving system memorized! Now if I could only get him to memorize the list! Or at least, look at it occasionally! He is an impulse buyer. If he sees what he thinks is a good deal..he buys it..and lots of whatever "it" is. When he comes home from the store, it is a major endeavor just to get the groceries in the house, not to mention finding a place in the house for everything! I used to fret over this. I would inspect the bags.."This was not on the list!".. "Why did you buy this??".. "What in the world are we going to do with 5o pounds of onions?!!!" Now, I just go with the flow.. I am sure to use that 50 pounds of onions up some day.

The last visit to the store landed another 50 pounds..only this time it was apples. Yes, I did have apples on the list..two small bags. Instead five large bags were toted into the kitchen. He was beaming ear to ear.."They were on sale!" Bless his heart! Well, at least these are not onions, I thought to myself. To be totally honest, I was a bit pleased with the beautiful, red bounty. I am a sucker for fruit of any kind. The sad part is, I have the three freezers filled to the brim and I have used all of my canning jars..now what? Today's chore..dehydrate some of these apples.

First step in preparing apples for anything..wash them. I am quite sure this needs no explanation so we move to step two.. core and slice. This, too, is sort of self-explanatory. The only thing I might mention is to very thinly slice them..paper thin. As you slice the apples, place them in a large bowl and either sprinkle with lemon juice or citric acid. (Basically the same stuff.) After slicing them all, you can dehydrate them as they are or season them if you like. I added a bit of cinnamon and a dusting of sugar to some of mine. The others were used in an experiment and drizzled with honey. (Just a word of advice..as yummy as this sounds, I probably won't do any more with honey as it tends to make the quite impossible to get off the racks! Honey makes a really, really good glue!

Now comes the fun part..it is mandatory when placing the apple slices in the dehydrator, to arrange them in a artful manner. This helps them to dry much better and the rule book says we must do this! The prettier the slices are arranged, the nicer they dry! Not really, you can smack them down any way you want but once you get started placing the slices on the racks, it just seems to come naturally. Just do make sure not to let the slices overlap as they will stick together and you will have one huge apple chip! It is also best to leave a bit of "air space" in between the slices as the hot air has to flow down through the racks.

I drew a small star on the three racks that held the

honey coated slices so I could remember my test slices! (Again, the honey was not a good idea.) After packing and stacking the trays, the top of the unit goes on, it is plugged into the electrical outlet and the dial is set. It is best to follow the recommended temperatures for drying different things. This is really easy to do since..umm, well.. the chart is right on top of the unit! All that is left to do, is wait..and wait..and wait. Occasionally, check the apples to test for crispness. (Just do not check too often as you might "taste test" once too often and not have any left in the dehydrator!) Just do have patience, this does take a bit of time..hours and hours to be honest. Once the slices reach the desired stage of crispness, turn off the dehydrator and lift off the top.

It is best to loosen the slices from the racks while still slightly warm. Then let cool and store in an airtight jar. These apple slices can be used the same as any apple slices..in pies, muffins or just to snack straight from the jar. That's finished..now, what do I do with the other 40 pounds!