Got more apples than you know what to do with? From canning and baking to making vinegar and even crafting, discover these creative ways to use up extra apples this fall.
Learn beginner-friendly preservation methods, delicious homemade recipes, and resourceful tips to keep every apple from going to waste.
What to Do with Extra Apples: Recipes & Preserving
When your kitchen surfaces are covered with baskets and buckets of apples in the fall, it can feel like a blessing and a challenge. The good news? There are dozens of ways to turn those apples into something delicious, useful, and lasting.
Here are 14 of my favorite ways to make the most of every apple - from old-fashioned recipes to resourceful skills that keep your pantry stocked and your family fed.
.png "Preserving apples is the best way to capture that crisp fall flavor and enjoy it all year long. Use these 14 ways to use and preserve apples to stock your pantry.")
Preserving Apples
Preserving apples is the best way to capture that crisp fall flavor and enjoy it all year long. Whether you’re canning, freezing, or turning them into jelly, these methods keep your harvest from going to waste - and stock your pantry with homemade goods.
Beginner’s Guide to Preserving Apples - This is a great place to start if you’re new to apple preservation. This post covers the basics so nothing goes to waste.
Keeping apples in cold storage - With the right conditions, you can keep apples without any extra work or special equipment.
How to Water-Bath Can Apples - Put up jars of sliced apples to enjoy in pies, crisps, and cobblers all year long.
How to Make Harvest Apple Jelly with no added pectin - One of the simplest (and prettiest) ways to preserve apples.
Mixed Fruit Jam or Jelly - Also known as "fruit scrap jelly," this recipe is a delicious way to use up smaller amounts of fruit you have on hand, including apples. It’s versatile, frugal, and a fun way to capture the flavors of several fruits in one pretty jar.
Dehydrated apples are so versatile - you can use them to make apple pies and other baked goods, and they are the most space-efficient way to store apples as well. Dried apple slices are a delicious snack for children and adults - and for horses and goats too!
Freezing Apples - The quickest way to save apples for baking later. Frozen apples are versatile and delicious, and can be used to make pies, baked into specialty breads and desserts, and added to fruit smoothies.
Baking & Cooking with Apples
How to Make an Apple Pie from Scratch - Classic and comforting - homemade apple pie is the best way to celebrate the season.
Baked Apples Recipe - A super-simple dessert that makes your whole house smell like fall.
Uncommon Ways to Use Apples - Includes creative recipes and projects from my blog and fellow homesteaders.
Resourceful Uses for Apples
Homemade Vinegar from Fruit Scraps: Apple, Pear, and More - Don’t toss those peels! Turn them into powerful homemade vinegar.
Apple Vinegar from Peels - Grab my free ebooklet to learn exactly how to make your own apple peel vinegar.
Simmering Potpourri - Apple peels and cores can fragrance your whole house.
Fruit Salad - A fresh way to use up odds and ends of apples. My mom always served this up with Christmas dinner.
If you do end up with a few "bad apples," don't toss them out - bury them in your compost pile. (While the fastest way to compost something is to chop it up into small pieces, if it's a slimy rotten apple, I just bury it deep inside the compost pile.)
Your Own Backyard Apple Orchard
If you dream of an endless supply of apples every fall, planting a few trees is the best investment. While the best time to plant a tree was ten years ago, the next best time is to plant it today.
Learn the best place to locate your backyard orchard, how to choose the right varieties for your location, and more in How to Plan and Plant a Backyard Orchard.
Making the Most of Your Apple Harvest
Whether you’re baking, preserving, or even crafting, there’s no shortage of ways to make apples useful. The key is to start with one method and give it a try - soon, you’ll have a pantry (and a home) that’s as comforting and abundant as fall itself.
Kathi Rodgers is the gardener and writer behind Oak Hill Homestead (est. 2006) and the host of HOMEGROWN: Your Backyard Garden Podcast. With over 30 years of gardening experience in a variety of climates and soils, she helps new and aspiring gardeners grow healthy, organic food right in their own backyards.
A passionate advocate for simple, self-reliant living, Kathi is the author of multiple ebooks, a published magazine contributor, and shares practical advice with readers who want real-life solutions they can trust.
Kathi lives in Oklahoma, where she grows more cherry tomatoes than she can count and keeps a watchful eye on tornado season. A proud grandma and great-grandma, she believes that wisdom - like a bountiful garden harvest - should be shared.
