Too many apples? 12 things to do with an apple glut

1. Sort them into three piles

Everything else depends on this. Perfect apples, picked by hand with the stalk on, are for storing. Bruised or nibbled ones are for cooking this week. Windfalls that are split or soft go for juice, the compost or the birds. One rotten apple really does spoil the box, so be strict.

2. Store the keepers

Late varieties such as Bramley's Seedling store best. Early ones such as Discovery don't keep, so eat or share those first. Wrap each apple loosely in newspaper and lay them in a single layer in trays or slatted boxes. Keep them somewhere cool, dark and frost-free, such as a garage or shed, and check them every week.

3. Freeze slices for crumbles

Peel, core and slice. Dip the slices in water with a squeeze of lemon so they don't brown, then open-freeze them on a tray before bagging. They keep for up to a year and go straight into a crumble or pie from frozen.

4. Stew and freeze

Cooking apples collapse into a fluffy purée with a splash of water and a little sugar. Freeze it in portions for crumbles, porridge, apple sauce with pork, or baby food. This is the best use for bruised fruit.

5. Press them for juice

Juice uses up apples in quantity, blemishes and all, once the rotten bits are cut out. Many community orchards and village groups hold apple days in October where you can borrow a press. Freeze the juice in bottles with space at the top, or pasteurise it if you want it to keep longer.

6. Dry apple rings

Core, slice thinly, and dry on a rack in the oven at its lowest setting for several hours, until leathery. Store them in an airtight jar. They make a good lunchbox snack.

7. Bake

Crumble, apple cake, tarte Tatin, baked apples stuffed with dried fruit. A crumble topping freezes well too, so make a double batch.

8. Make chutney or apple butter

Apple chutney uses a lot of fruit and keeps for months. Follow a tested recipe and sterilise your jars. Keep it for yourself and as gifts, though: jams and chutneys count as processed food, which brings in food business rules, so they can't be listed on Leaf Exchange.

9. Share, swap or sell them locally

This is the quickest way to stop good apples going to waste. People nearby often want them, especially for cooking and juicing. They just don't know your tree exists. Apples are on the countable list, so you can sell them each at a set price without scales. You can also offer:

• A bagful for free, as a swap, or pay what you think. There's no set price for a bag, because it isn't weighed.
• A big box over 5 kg at a set price, which suits juicers and jam makers.
• Windfalls for free, clearly described as windfalls, for juicing or animal feed.

Say whether they're eaters or cookers, name the variety if you know it, and be honest about blemishes. A photo of the tree helps. List them on Leaf Exchange and neighbours can reserve, then collect from you in person.

List your surplus

10. Donate them

Food banks, community fridges and food hubs often welcome fresh fruit, but check first, since some can only take certain foods. In Buckinghamshire, Grow to Give collects growers' surplus for local food projects. Ask your council what runs near you.

11. Leave some for wildlife

Blackbirds, thrushes and fieldfares feast on fallen apples through autumn and winter. Leave a few under a hedge, away from paths, and compost the rest.

12. Plan next year's crop

A mature full-size apple tree can give 50 kg or more in a good year. A small tree on a dwarfing rootstock gives roughly 10 to 20 kg. To spread the crop, thin the fruit in early summer, after the natural June drop, to one or two apples per cluster. You'll get bigger, better apples, and the tree is less likely to crop heavily only every other year. If you're planting, mix early and late varieties so they don't all ripen at once.

How long apples keep

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