This past weekend we started on our fall chores.

Firewood

First, we stacked wood. Usually we cut and stack wood, but this year we hadn’t set any green wood to dry in the spring, so I ordered wood. Simply stacking takes a lot less time than cutting, hauling, splitting, and stacking. Tyson and I stacked wood into racks, and Isaac stacked wood into a fort. Tyson estimated we had 1/10th of a chord of wood leftover from last year. On average we use 1/3rd of a chord of wood per winter. We packed as much of the new wood as we could into the wood room, so next year’s wood will stay dry too. Tyson estimates we have 7/10ths of a chord inside and 2/10ths outside.

Applesauce

Next, Isaac and I made applesauce. The last two years, we have eaten less applesauce than when Isaac was a toddler. I bought 1/2 bushel of Cortland apples and 1/2 bushel of Northern Spy. According to my previous notes, that should have made 16 quarts of applesauce, but this time it only made 14 quarts. The Northern Spy were quite juicy. Maybe they cooked down more? Also, the Northern Spy are sweet. Isaac pressed two pots full of apples through the food mill by himself. I finished the rest with help from some friends who came over. The resulting applesauce is less tangy, but still had a complex flavor.