Using up the Last of the Apples In late September we picked about 20 pounds of apples off the little Norland apple tree in our backyard. Although they were pretty good eaten fresh for the first week or 10 days, they soon started to soften up, even though they were stored in the refrigerator. Rather than throw them into the compost, I've been cooking up small batches of applesauce (like my boys learned to make at the Fort Steel Apprenticeship Program ) -- basically a few cups of peeled, cored and chopped apples, with a quarter cup of water and a half teaspoon of cinnamon simmered in a covered saucepan until soft enough to mash with a potato masher. Today I decided to open my binder of recipes collected over the years and bake some Apple Spice Loaf. A thick slice of this loaf, along with a slice of cheese and a glass of milk, makes for a quick and easy breakfast when we're headed out the door for a hiking or snowshoeing adventure. It's also one of our boys' favourite school day breakfasts. Mr. GeoK sometimes enjoys a toasted slice of Apple Spice Loaf with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert. I can't remember where I came across the original recipe that I've tweaked over the years. If you want to give it a try, here's the version I'm currently using... Shred apples into large mixing bowl. Add brown sugar, oil, eggs and orange peel and stir