The Rural Voice, 1999-10, Page 36SWEET
MEMORIES
Making 'apple dapples'
was a fall ritual
at Grandmother's place.
The delicious dried -apple treats
are still enjoyed today.
Story and photos
by Linda Gabris
One of my favourite childhood memories is of
autumn on the farm when Grandmother's cozy
kitchen lingered with the tangy aroma of apple.
We'd sit at the table in front of the crackling wood stove
with spools of string, threaded needles and a bushel or two
of washed, sorted apples ready for drying. While Grandpa
cored and sliced, Grandmother and 1 strung apple rings into
long, dangling chains ready to be hung from the ceiling
behind the stove.
Today I sit at my own kitchen table with my children
and we string fragrant apples in the same old manner as we
did back when I was a child. It's not only a fun family
activity, but also a great way to put your surplus apples to
32 THE RURAL VOICE
Apples became strings of apple slices drying in the
kitchen bring memories of grandmother's place.
good use. Dried apples or "apple -dapples" as we will still
fondly call them, are one of my family's favourite snack
time treats.
When I was a girl, grandmother stored favoured apples
such as Macintosh, Spy, and Golden Delicious in the root
cellar for hand eating over winter months. Only bruised,
overripe, or less sweet varieties, like crabapples, were
strung and hung. Today I dry whatever bountiful variety
our trees offer and I have found that even the tartest,
sourest apple becomes a gem when dried.
After hours of nibbling, stringing and hanging, the wall
behind our kitchen stove becomes curtained in fragrant
apples. Here the rings will hang for about five to eight