I grew up on homemade applesauce, and for a long time, never knew there was any other way to provide it. Whenever someone gave apples to Mom, this is what she made with them. Occasionally there might be an apple pie but usually it was this delicious applesauce. When I went to Longwood College (now University) and ate their applesauce for the first time, I had a hard time swallowing it. It was, of course, out of a can or jar. That didn’t go over very well with me.
We recently bought a ½ bushel of apples and began the process. To begin, we sliced the apples, cutting out any “bad” places, and cooked them until they were mushy. They were put into the Foley Mill, which pushed the mushy apple through the strainer. From there, we dished out the applesauce into various sized containers to freeze.
Yes, we are the proud owners of 6+ quarts of applesauce!
As I was washing the utensils we used, I looked at the Foley Mill. I’m sure that many of you have seen one and probably used one. I’m using the one which Mom had. It is very sturdy!
Its purpose:
· A food mill (Foley Mill) essentially mashes and strains foods. It’s ideal for straining the soft portion of foods from the solids (seeds and peelings), creating a smooth consistency for sauces and similar recipes.
· It saves the time and energy you’d spend peeling and deseeding ingredients.
· It also leaves less food waste, because it efficiently removes the solids without wasting the rest. The solids can be thrown away or composted.
When using the Foley Mill, you turn the handle several times, which turns the blade that pushes the sauce through the strainer. This ensures that all of the sauce has been pushed out from the skin. It is a separation from the skin of the apple. However, for the Foley Mill to work properly, the food items must be soft. We can’t simply slice the apples and put them in there and expect to see apple pulp coming through the strainer.
Think about how God presses down on each of us from time to time to eliminate what is not like Him. He doesn’t have to remove any layers of skin to do it because He is working on the inside of us. But we do need to be “soft” or pliable for Him to work in us. I think of us as “soft or pliable” once we have made the choice to follow Him. This is when He can do His best work in us. If we do not believe in God or do things that do not honor God, we are like the sliced apple that has not become soft and mushy from cooking over high heat.
Once the heat has softened the apple and begun the separation process from the outer skin, God can begin a good work in us.
“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue
his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
Philippians 1:6 (NLT)
God works in each and every one of us. Just as any apple can be used to make applesauce, any and all persons are free to make the choice to follow Him and be used by Him. However, we must be ready to go under the Foley Mill effect from time to time. This is the way He makes a new creation on the inside of us.
The Foley Mill Effect is a good thing!
Thanks for stopping by,
Rachel
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