Too many apples?

What was I thinking when I signed up with OFRE? The raspberries were great, and I think I'll have to juice some tiny pears, but I do not need more apples. I have picked with them twice now and I've given up the apples that I was allowed to take. The apples have been great, but I've got my own sources.

Here's the thing. In the last two years I've felt the need to connect with community more. I've got my church community, but I thought there was a need to do something within my own geographic neighbourhood.

So I joined the community league executive. My role is minimal, but it's connected me with a group of people I didn't know before. The community garden idea led to more connections, that eventually became an active gardening club. From that, I was led to the yard in which I grew vegetables and have another yard offered to me for next year with a bigger bed. I've also met someone with a most awesome apple tree. And she doesn't use the apples, although I'm not sure why exactly.

So, I picked once at her home alone, and once with a church friend (connecting my neighbourhood with my church community). I now have apples to spare.

What do you do with too many apples?

I make pie filling and apple sauce.

I made four apple crisps for the neighbour with the tree, a pie for us and a pie for our 18 year old neighbour.

And I made many quarts of apple cider with OFRE at a juicing party (and there's another this weekend if anyone is interested). This was hard physical work, but really fun to do as a group.

And I juiced a few quarts for myself as well, the kids have been eating dried apples every day and today they ate this yummy cake after school.

Fat-free Butterscotch Brownies

1/2 cup apple sauce
2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Cream the apple sauce with the sugar and then add the eggs
and vanilla. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan (shoot - I guess it's not fat-free!) and bake at
350F for 30 minutes.

And today with some of my excess, I delivered a box to the school for hungry kids at lunch, another box to a friend who has no tree, and another box to a local church with a community kitchen. I suspect they'll be making pies at their next get-together.

For all the things people do and give me, it does feel good to pass the love along to others who need it.

It's funny how one small act of building community can grow into something so much larger. It's a good thing, but as I see need everywhere, I'm so tempted to get involved everywhere and I need to develop a few boundaries for myself.

Maybe I'll try that next year.... I don't have time for that sort of self-reflection right now. I've still got apples in the basement and carrots in the garden and two bathrooms to renovate.