The apple harvest in NY is smaller this year than average (maybe those late spring frosts killed off some of the flowers?) However, there are more apples on my ages old apple trees than we'll ever eat. The mystery varieties that came with our property aren't as beautiful as Red Delicious, as sweet as Golden Delicious, or tart in quite the same way as the famous Granny Smith apple. They are awesome for making pies and fun to pick (or dodge after shaking the tree), and now and then you'll see a ground hog posing out back while nibbling on one.
There is no end to the fun you can have with apples. Family Fun suggests carving faces in them, drying them in an oven on low for three hours, then adding raisins and rice for eyes and teeth--wonderful little shrunken heads for Halloween.
Younger kids might be successful making apple stamps (also from Family Fun): Cut an apple in half, pop out the seeds with a toothpick, blot the cut surface dry using a paper towel, then brush it with white acrylic paint. Add a line of green or red paint around the edge and stamp away.
According to Wikipedia, the real Johnny Appleseed did not spread apple seeds randomly, everywhere he went. Instead he planted nurseries, fenced them in, and left them in the care of a neighbor who would sell trees on shares. Although the estate he left to his sister on his death was worth millions of dollars, he in fact lived off the land, gave away most of his clothes and never collected on debts that went unpaid.
Also according to Wikepedia: Apple seeds do not actually grow into the same type of apple tree they came from. In fact, if you plant an apple seed (which will have a combination of genes from each of it's parent trees) you will rarely get a plant which is of any use at all (except maybe shade?) Instead, stems from a desirable plant are grafted onto other trees (there is a very careful process of cutting off the stems, slipping the end under the bark of another tree, then wrapping it up with string and glue.)
I may just try planting the seeds from one of my all-time favorite apples ever anyway. What I would give to have a Pink Lady apple tree in my yard!!!
