Apple saucing has become a family tradition – every fall for as long as the apple tree in the backyard has produced apples the saucing has been a seasonal chore. Like raking leaves in October, picking apples in September is an event.
For years the applesauce seemed to just appear, it wasn’t a big deal to anyone but the apple picker/saucer guy. That guy loved the chore – he loved the fact the tree magically produced buckets of apples out of seemingly nothing, he loved the anticipation of the harvest and watching the slow ripening of the fruit. Just he and the squirrels seemed to notice when the apples were edible, suddenly it was game-on – man against squirrel in a strategic race to see who could reach the perfect fruit first. The battle was far from epic – the squirrels made their raids covertly, the spoils of their missions dangling half eaten from the tallest branches of the tree only to be discovered mid harvest.
In the olden days the saucing of the apples was a solitary two day event – limited stove top and pots, combined with the hours it took to reduce the fruit to mush, would eat up an entire weekend. It would take the fruit flies and the cleaner-upper person the better part of a week to de-sticky the kitchen.
In the early years the eaters of the applesauce were babies and their appetite for the stuff was great. As those eaters grew so too did their interest in the making of the sauce, (as did the enthusiasm of the sauce maker). Suddenly there were ‘helpers’ who were keen to pick apples and sauce with their Papa. Apple-saucing became entertainment for granddaughters for days.
These days the saucing of the entire tree of apples takes little more than a busy afternoon. A team of pickers assembles in the backyard and makes short work of the harvest – the squirrels are out maneuvered in no time flat. Insta-pots have reduced the mushing time from hours to minutes and the assembly line of eager saucers turn mush into freezer ready sauce in record time. (Unfortunately kitchen clean up can still take up to a week, but nobody worries about that except the person chasing the fruit flies and wiping the counters.)
The 2019 crop of apples got sauced on Sunday – it’s the second year the harvest has happened without Papa at the helm. There was much laughing and remembering in the kitchen while the apples were diced and mushed – stories retold from a past not too long ago. Stories about little girls and their Papa picking and saucing apples.
It’s comforting to watch memories being made and rekindled in the same moment. Where the girls may not have an actual memory of making applesauce with their Papa they will definitely remember the story of them doing just that. And in remembering the story they will remember the man.
Comments (3)
I can almost smell it. The gift of words.
Thank you.
Love this !