Give me some ideas on what to do with loads of apples instead of letting them rot

[JoshandJamie]

I'm not looking for recipes here. My situation is that my house was flooded. I'm not living there anymore until it's fixed but I have about 6 apple trees laden with fruit. I don't have time or the facilities to turn them into jams/pies/freeze them etc which was my original plan as I'm either staying with friends or in tiny self catering holiday cottage.

I hate to see them just fall on the ground and rot. What should I do with them - bearing in mind I have very limited time? Do I just pick them, put them in a box outside our front gate with a sign that says 'help yourself', do I donate them to some worthy cause (like what??), I did think about suggesting to son's pre-school that they celebrate Apple Day which is coming up soon with a fund raiser with bobbing for apples, apple pie making lessons or whatever - but it's too much work.

What can I do with them? I hate waste!

I would bag them up and give some to everyone you know, and also put them outside your front gate like you suggested.

Do your local schools still cook their own school dinners? Maybe they could use them? Or old peoples homes/nursing homes/loccal WI?

I hope you are back at home sometime soon xx

i threw away two massive bags of them from my mil's garden today. it seems such a waste but i can't see anyone just taking them off the street tbh.

they make great wasp food if left to rot

Local stables? The horses there will appreciate them!

call a few churches i know at pil's church they have lady make jam etc

There were huge boxes of apples outside our local library the other day for people to take away.... might get more 'traffic' depending on what your roads like?

I've put spare seedlings outside in the past with a donations box for local charity ...

I think the free for all and offering to friends etc is good, can you store any until you get back to normality?

freecycle... if that is allowed?

what about other neighbours near your house, could they come and help you pick/distribute them?

Thanks for all the suggestions - might be to my neighbours who are part of the local WI and church and see if they can use them. I might be able to store them but I'm not likely to be able to use them till after Xmas and I#m not sure if they'll last that long