Apples & Missing Teeth

It's that time of year again when the apples are plentiful and there are endless things you can do with them. Today it was applesauce day and so I picked up a bushel of Cortlands this morning. I first made two apple pies and put them in the freezer (will make more later on in the month). The girls then made their own mini pies from the leftovers. It's so cute watching them roll the dough and put the topping on. Of course they wanted to eat them right away but raw dough, they found out, isn't that tasty! Instead they ate an apple whole, as opposed to cut up for them. Anna had hers with the peel off because its too hard to bite through that skin with a loose tooth. (More on that later.) They also were great helpers with the applesauce. I borrowed a real nifty machine from the Mennonite lady where I get my produce. It's called the Victorio Strainer and you put the cooked, mushed apples in a large funnel at the top. After grinding it for a bit the applesauce funnels out one side and the skins and pits come out another side. I was told you could purchase it at Home Hardware but after inquiring I was told they no longer carry it; I'm hoping I can find it on the Web someplace. I'm always surprised at how little applesauce I get from a bushel. I ended up with 11 quarts and half a pint. We don't eat it that often so that might do us for a little while anyway. The Cortland apples are great for giving the applesauce a really nice pink colour that make the jars look so pretty.
Well, about the loose tooth, it's now a missing tooth. Anna pulled the tooth out by herself just before we started dinner. She was very excited and not scared at all by it. She quickly put it in a "baggy" and then kept a close eye on it all suppertime. Anna's heard many stories about missing teeth and the Tooth Fairy from her cousins Vanessa and Justin. This motivated her to stick it under her pillow immediately after supper. We'll see what happens now!?!