Today’s adventure. .. canning apples.
My hubby and I both love a good apple sauce but the store bought ones usually have too much sugar for my liking. So we decreed that Apple sauce be canned this weekend. Lol
Now this is a new process for me but then again everything I’ve canned this summer was a new process. First time canner ya know. Well, on any size scale and for something other than jam.
So first things first. You have to either pick or buy your apples. We chipped in with my in-laws to buy in bulk so it was cheaper and we were able to get a variety.
Wash and cut up the apples. We did not core them. We simply cut out the blossom end and any bad spots. And no we didn’t peel them either. Just cut them up into small wedges with the peels left on. Now you can do the next step one of two ways. Either bake the apples in the oven until soft or cook on the stove top until soft. Once the apples are soft you can run them thru the Victorio Food mill (which you can buy for about 50 dollars). This process will take out the seeds/core and the peels for you. This is much easier, as well as faster, than trying to cut out the core and peel the apple. Now you have your base made so you can either make applesauce or apple butter. It is simply a matter of the ingredients you add and the amount of time you cook the sauce.
At this point we chose to make applesauce, but we did a second batch and made apple butter. The beauty of homemade applesauce and apple butter, is that you can add what you like; cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, brown sugar. We added a bit of orange zest to the apple butter which really made the flavor pop! There are a ton of great recipes online and in books. Or you can get the basics from your mom and make up the rest as you go. lol
After you’ve added all your spices and cooked the applesauce down some, you’re ready to can it. We cooked it for a little while because we like thick applesauce. While it was cooking, I loaded the jars in the dishwasher and turned it to sanitize. This is also a good time to start heating up the water in the water bath canner. Once everything is hot, ladle the sauce into the jars, wipe down the rim, put on the lid and ring. After filling all the jars that will fit into the canner place them in the canner. At this point follow the guidelines from your canning book, mom or website, based on the size of your jars and the altitude of your location.
After the time is up for the canner, remove from heat, take the lid off and let it sit for about 5 minutes before taking the jars out. Sit the jars on a clean towel in a relatively draft free area and cover with a light towel. If you haven’t already heard the “pop” of the lids you soon will.
Well, there you have it folks. Applesauce! Made in your own home; free of anything you don’t want in your food.
Callthehousewife 