Apple peeler, Green Gables Heritage Place

Cast iron device with gears, blade, and turning handle.

The first apple peelers, usually made of cast iron like this model, were patented in the early 1800s. Apple peelers were also often used to peel potatoes, since peeling either with a knife was a tedious process. This would not have been used in making Marilla’s rudimentary crab-apple preserves since the peels are actually left on!