An abundance of apples

Thanks to the ideal weather we have had in the UK, the hedgerows are full of berries, fruit of all sorts are falling to the ground, and trees are heaving under the weight of their bounty. It is therefore time for me to make the most of the proliferation of apples in our orchard that now ready for harvesting.

Make sure the fruit is ready before picking - you can tell it is ripe if the pips are brown. If they are still white, then the apples need to stay on the tree a little longer. The problem is, most of the apples are ready at the same moment, and unless you can adequately store them over the winter in a dry place, with each individual fruit wrapped in newspaper or brown paper then there is only one alternative – to stew the apples and freeze them. It is relatively simple, even for The Real Food Inspector, to stew and freeze apples, and it only takes time and effort.

Here goes:

1. Peel your apples using a good quality apple peeler. We use a Victorinox knife available in most kitchen shops.

2. Slice the apples into relatively small pieces, removing the core and any damaged or diseased sections.

3. Place the sliced apple into a bowl of cold water, containing two tablespoons of lemon juice. We use a 250ml bottle of organic Sicilian Lemon Juice from M&S, but cheaper versions are available in most supermarkets. Avoid the plastic lemons containing 'so called' lemon juice. The lemon juice avoids the fruit turning brown while in preparation.

4. Once the apples have all been sliced, drain off the 'lemon juice' water and rinse in clean cold water and drain.

5. Place the fruit in a bowl ready for microwaving (non-metalic) and sprinkle granulated white sugar generously over the fruit so it is well covered. Do not add any additional water as there is enough liquid in the fruit.

6. Cover the bowl with cling film and microwave for six minutes on a 'high' setting (900w microwave).

7. Carefully remove the cling film to avoid the very hot steam and check that the apple is nicely stewed. Not completely puréd, but still retaining some recognisable slices of apple. You may need another minute or two in the microwave dependent upon the quantity of fruit. (I stewed six large apples for six minutes).

8. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and allow to cool before spooning the stewed apple into freezer bags and placing in the freezer.

Once in the freezer, you have a wealth of apple available throughout the coming winter months for filling pies or adding to fruit crumbles, French apple flans, apple snow, or chutney. It is also an idea sauce accompaniment to pork. Some folk just like stewed apple with fresh cream!

Remember to take your frozen stewed apple out of the freezer to defrost several hours before use or the night before.

Final Tip: If you are using your apple with crumble, don't try to freeze the whole apple crumble pudding, as when defrosted the whole dish will be very soggy. Alternatively, freeze your crumble mix in a separate freezer bag from your stewed apple for a quick and easy dessert.

More food recipes and reviews can be read on the real food inspector's blog here.