A few weeks after we got married, Kris and I decided to make applesauce, but this time Kris was going to show me how his family makes it. So we headed out to an orchard, purchased about 50 pounds of apples, then began our applesauce making process.
Here’s what we used:
Food:
Apples (Golden Delicious, or something similar, naturally sweet is key)
Water (less than you think!)
Cinnamon (optional)
Equipment:
Apple peeler, corer, slicer (you can go without, but this speeds up the process)
Big pots (we have a 12 qt. and 16 qt. pot)
Potato masher
Jars (we like wide mouth)
Rings and lids
Canning funnel
Making the applesauce
First we peeled and sliced the apples using the apple peeler. I filled my two pots as high as they would go, then added a little water in each (This year, I actually added too much. Kris said they needed about ½ cup of water each). I put them on the stove on low and let them cook for several hours.
Once the apples were all soft, we mashed them with the potato masher until everything was smooth. Next, we added the cinnamon. We just sprinkled it in until the color looked good. You can use as much or as little as you want.
Preparing the jars and lids
We first sterilized the jars and rings by running them in the dishwasher. Once cleaned, we put the jars in the oven on low heat to get them hot. (This step is VERY important! If your jars are cold, they will crack when you put boiling applesauce in them.)
We boiled a saucepan of water and placed the canning lids in there. We kept those in the hot water until we were ready to use them.
Canning
When everything was ready, we set up an assembly line: Kris scooped the applesauce into the jars (using the canning funnel to make it easier) till they were filled (leaving about ½ in of headspace at the top). Then I wiped around the top of the jar (to make sure there was no applesauce there which would prevent the lid from sealing), placed a lid on top and screwed the ring on. I then placed each jar upside down on the towel. This makes the lids seal within just a few minutes!
We worked until we had run out of jars (we canned about 17 quarts!).
This whole process just took a couple hours - I made the applesauce during the day while Kris was at work, then we canned everything that evening. This is so much faster than using a water bath - when I used to do that, it would take hours! I’m forever sold on this method.
Now that my cupboard is full of applesauce, it’s time to go make some baked oatmeal to go along with that!
Yum!
Once the apples were all soft, we mashed them with the potato masher until everything was smooth. Next, we added the cinnamon. We just sprinkled it in until the color looked good. You can use as much or as little as you want.
Preparing the jars and lids
We first sterilized the jars and rings by running them in the dishwasher. Once cleaned, we put the jars in the oven on low heat to get them hot. (This step is VERY important! If your jars are cold, they will crack when you put boiling applesauce in them.)
We boiled a saucepan of water and placed the canning lids in there. We kept those in the hot water until we were ready to use them.
Canning
When everything was ready, we set up an assembly line: Kris scooped the applesauce into the jars (using the canning funnel to make it easier) till they were filled (leaving about ½ in of headspace at the top). Then I wiped around the top of the jar (to make sure there was no applesauce there which would prevent the lid from sealing), placed a lid on top and screwed the ring on. I then placed each jar upside down on the towel. This makes the lids seal within just a few minutes!
We worked until we had run out of jars (we canned about 17 quarts!).
This whole process just took a couple hours - I made the applesauce during the day while Kris was at work, then we canned everything that evening. This is so much faster than using a water bath - when I used to do that, it would take hours! I’m forever sold on this method.
Now that my cupboard is full of applesauce, it’s time to go make some baked oatmeal to go along with that!
Yum!
Comments
Post a Comment