I was cruising through the english translation of Le Menagier, and found this in the Odds and Ends section. It sounds pretty good, kind of like a vegetarian c.b. hash and poached eggs. SC - Mushy Foods Wolfmother has a good idea regarding old apples. The new ones, especially the wind-falls, would be egg sized. If this were a peasant recipe, I'd say the peasant had only one apple tree and didn't want to lose any of the fruit.
Some apples do ripen early.
We used to have a golden delicious that would wake us up at night, throwing apples on the tile roof. Windows were open, so it was still very warm weather. Next day, we could get a bite or two from the 'missiles'.