Apple Cider Juicing with "Rotten" Apples??

PART 1:  I ordered a ton of organic "2nds" from our apple source in the food club last week.  2nds are the apples that aren't pretty enough to sell on their own so they are tossed in a bucket and sold at half price for pies, canning, freezing, etc.

I accidentally brought my 2nds to my sisters house last week and set them on the counter.  I was going to use the apple corer/peeler/slicer to remove the spots on the outside and serve them up to my kids.  My brother-in-law walked in, grabbed the apples and asked my sister, "Hey hun?  Can I throw away these rotting apples that are just sitting out???"

Step away from the apples!!  They are perfectly good to eat!!  And cheap.  And healthy.  They just look kind of foul.  But once you cut away, I promise they are good!!

PART 2:  We have been potty-training Leo since winter of last year.  Things are not going well.  He waits to go number 2 until it is too late and he holds it in.  Anyway, it's been a real struggle and I just think I started potty-training him too early.  For some kids, they take to it.  For others?  Well, you're still potty training a year later.  

I spoke to the doctor at Leo's wellness check-up to see what she recommended.  She told me to buy some mineral oil for him but that sounded a little rough.  She recommended apple or pear juice regularly and she said that the Giant Breakfast Oatmeal Cookies I make regularly were a good idea.  Well, we ALL know about the drama around the apple juice industry.  But, apple juice is wicked expensive.  We only drink milk and water and the kids can always get a treat when we go out to eat.  

PART 3:  So Jason suggested I use our juicer for its intended purpose and a few minutes later we had this adorable jug of real organic apple cider!  (I am so happy that my mom saved this juicer from 1985!!  She bought it to make macrobiotic foods for my little brother when he was born and it still works perfectly.  I have been using it as my grain mill for my whole wheat flour.  

I'm also glad my siblings all think I'm crazy and don't want me to share it with them!)

I shook some up, poured a little glass for Leo and watered it down a little (this good stuff is STRONG and sweet).  Within a half hour, he went potty.  I don't want to gross anyone out, so if you want to know more about it, it was Number 4 on the chart :)

I did what any rational and desperate parent would do after finding the elixir of the gods.  I immediately packed the kids up and drove a half-hour to the orchard for more.  It's not organic, but it is local and affordable.  And we got these cute pictures

Each of these huge boxes was only $6.50 for 2nds!!

So we got to work on just one of the boxes of juice the other morning.

And we got 2 huge bowls of cider that I immediately transferred to jars to freeze.  Fresh squeezed juice only lasts 24-48 hours.

But it doesn't last long in our fridge.  This stuff is GOOOOOOOOD!!!

It has been a little less than a week using this apple cider elixir as our remedy to Leo's potty-issues and so far, we have been seeing great results.  No constipation or pain!  And Leo has no idea that there is an ulterior motive behind the sudden flow of juice in our house.

I am having trouble figuring out what to do with the apple mush that comes out of the juicer.  I initially tried to make fruit leather in my dehydrator...  

 ...but it was TERRIBLE!!

(Elena doesn't discriminate - she's loves all food equally)

I decided to freeze the mush and throw it into baking recipes like cakes and muffins.  We'll see how it works!!