mmmmm, pie

(the picture above is blurry when it's bigger, but it gives an idea)

Last week the kids were looking at the apples on the neighbor's tree. They looked so yummy and so wasted. A couple of months ago the old lady that lived next door went to the hospital because of her cancer and was told then that she should live in a nursing home instead of going home. We were all under the impression that she was just in a nursing home and wasn't likely to be back and I hated to see those apples drop and rot. Come to find out, she passed away at the end of July and we're not even sure if she even left he hospital.
I told the kids to go ahead and pick the apples. Timothy had a great time doing it. He called dibs on the biggest, unblemished apple within reach and said that no one else was allowed to pick it.

We borrowed an apple picker from Tim's mom and for the last few days we've been picking apples and I've been peeling and baking and making pie filling for the freezer. I still have a basket full of apples to do something with and at least two more baskets on the tree at the top (which I will not allow the kids on a ladder that high so I will have to go out there soon before they fall off)



Emma climbed into the tree all by herself. She was very excited to have done it without any help at all. Connor was pretty excited about it too and ran in to get me and Daddy to see her in the tree.


The beautiful end result. The apples are a bit tart so the pie isn't too sweet, also when they are cooked they turn into a nice mush so it's more like a tangy apple sauce. It is so good.
They are the perfect pie apple. I'm thinking I'll have to plant some of the seeds so I can have a couple of those trees.

The pie crust is my sister's recipe. Thanks Amy! It really is great.