Apples and Lemons

After being given a couple of kg's of green cooking Apples and a whole bunch of Lemons we decided to see how many recipes we could make featuring these two ingredients.

Stewing Fruit

Apples - Method

Roughly cut the flesh of apples from the cores. Apple flesh will naturally start to brown when exposed to the air so you may want to cut directly into water or drizzle lemon juice over the chopped pieces. Place in a pan over medium heat with a little hot water. Cook until well stewed. If you want to reduce the time it takes to cook the apples try putting them in a food processor first. Blend until well diced before cooking.

Madness

With green cooking Apples, you can peel the skins and cut the flesh from the cores. Then you can throw the skins and cores in the bin. Or perhaps the compost if you are that way inclined.
"But wait!" We cry.
You just threw Human food away.
When we make stewed apple we leave the skins on. We know that the skin alone provides two to six times the antioxidant activity of the apple flesh and contains a lot of good old fibre.

And the cores?

If you must peel the apples then we suggest you put the peelings and the cores in a saucepan with enough water to cover them. Cook on a medium to high heat until the mix is reduced. Let cool and strain the cloudy liquid. Congratulations you have made Apple Pectin. An important ingredient in jams, preserves and desserts. The rest can go to the chickens, or compost if you have nae chookta friends. Chickens love to peck out the Apple pips from the mushy cores.

Lemons - Method

As with Apples, you can stew the rind, pith and stuff left over after juice extraction to make Lemon Pectin. You can also freeze whole Lemons for use later. When you want to add them to a dish simply grate them while still frozen, seeds and all.

If you have an abundance of juice you can freeze it into ice cubes for later use.

Every batch of Wench's Chilli Con or San Carne gets a couple of Lemcubes in the mix.

Pectin

Pectin is a naturally occurring water-soluble fibre (a polysaccharide or long-chain carbohydrate formed of sugar molecules) found in berries, apples and other fruit. When heated together with sugar pectin molecules bind together in a network that traps liquid in sponge-like pockets, it causes a thickening that is characteristic of jams, marmalades and jellies.
Citrus fruit contains most pectin in the pith, the white pithy bit between the waxy yellow bit and the juicy yellow bit. I am sure you are well acquainted with the old phrase.

'Stop taking the pith. I need it for jam.'

The characteristic bitter taste of citrus fruit comes from the oil in the skins. By soaking the peel overnight in cold water you can remove much of the bitter flavours. This will allow you to use the rind in various dishes without risking tainting the whole meal with a bitter Lemon taste. Try adding Lemon rind to Curries, Cakes and Ice-cream.

Here is one tip for you. When you are juicing lemons leave the half Lemon just juiced on the juicer. Now you can easily cut the rind off for later use.

Don't forget that you can keep the seeds too. If you want to plant trees that is.

Recipes so far.

Stewed Apple, Pectin, Lemcubes. Three recipes so far. But we are sure we can think of many others.
Here are just a few.

Check out our tasty Flaxseed and Apple Crackers.
Or try your hand at Candied Lemon Peel.
Why not make yourself a sticky suit out of Apple Leather.
Do you like marmelade? Do you like Lemon curd? Then try Lemonalade Curd.
Or if you fancy a wee bickie. Lemon and Apple Oaties.

Have you got any good Apple and Lemon recipes?

Thanks for reading.

Remember 'Ye ARRR what ye eat!'

☠️=💀=☠️=========☠️=💀=☠️

Check out some of our previous posts below (we haven't been here long so don't have much to share so far).

Food

Gluten free Pancakes recipe.
Testing out Bacon and Egg Pies.
Keeping warm in winter with Mulled wine.
A not so traditional Tortilla Española de Patatas.
Spicy Fruit and Vegetable Soup video.
Food Porn 1. 2. 3.
Food you may not know you can eat. 1. The many uses of Radish. 2. Corgette Flower Omelette.

Homesteading

How to grow Carrots to save seed.
Saving Tomato seed.
Keeping healthy Chickens.
Building Potato boxes.
Growing Purple potatoes.

Being Creative

Learning Photoshop GIF animation: 1. 2. 3.
An original short story with a sci-fi theme by the Capt'n. Once Upon a Blue Moon.
Messing with Macro photography.
Journals of a Space Pirate in KSP (computer game)1. 2.
Animating Photos: Animation Station.

Pirate Playlist

Worldwide Adventurers sing stories of Piracy.
Heavy Mahogany! The Dread Crew Of Oddwood.
'I Am A Cider Drinker' by Alestorm.
'The Pirate's Gospel' by Alela Diane.