I was inspired to try making Lambswool Wassail by a recipe in the NZ Gardener magazine this autumn. The drink is made with a sweet-spiced hot cider (or ale) and apples that are cooked until frothy. I had just harvested lots of windfall apples and had made a batch of homemade cider, so I had all the ingredients to hand. I was also totally intrigued by the name Lambswool Wassail and where it came from. The lambswool part is believed to have come from being served at the ancient Celtic pagan … [Read more...]
Making Apple Wine
Making Apple Wine wasn't as successful as my other efforts making feijoa wine and wine from white eating grapes. It has eventually turned out to be drinkable but a lot of hassle and heartache to get there and still not as I would have liked. I will share my experiences because there are lots of learnings for other budding wine makers. My previous efforts at making wine have been based on the generic recipe and instructions for making fruit wine on the very helpful makewine.co.nz website. And … [Read more...]
Chocolate Apple Cake
Although my ballerina apple trees only produced 4 apples this year, it was enough to make my favourite chocolate apple cake. It is light and moist, and easy to blitz together in the food processor. It is great as a cake or as a dessert. 2-3 apples 125g butter (melted) 1 egg 1 cup sugar 1 1/2 cup flour 2 tbsp cocoa 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp baking soda Food processor - chop unpeeled apples, add remaining ingredients in the order given. Process in short bursts until combined. Turn into … [Read more...]