It's that time of year again.
Wait... No it's not. It's EARLY!
That's what I thought, too, until I saw (and tasted) the enormous, blemish free, delectably sweet apples from my in-laws' tree.
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| Look at that beauty! The apples look great, too *wink* |
Applesaucing has become a bit of a tradition.
Originally, it started with a borrowed food grinder from a pastor's wife. It was such a success that between our three families we now own 2 manual food grinders, 1 Kitchenmaid food grinder attachment set, and 2 apple peelers (the peelers are used mostly for making apple crisp to eat in reward for our hard work).
Between 2 backyard apple trees my in-laws were able to collect SEVEN 5-gallon buckets of apples.
The kids helped wash- well, sort of... Otherwise we were a four person team that washed, cut, cooked and cranked. This year we did a combination of freezing and canning.
I chose to freeze our applesauce in simple Gladware type containers left over from Year One. Personally, eating partially thawed applesauce with raspberries, blueberries or strawberries is a favored delicacy in my house. Last year we tried using freezer bags which wasn't too bad to complete, but they turned out to be a REAL PAIN when trying to serve. Giant mess & lots of wasted sauce if you ask me. The plastic containers are cheap, reusable, and the applesauce seems to freeze well with no freezer burn even at the end of a full 12 months.
Shelley & Sandie choose to can theirs. With a freezer located downstairs, Shelley found that they just weren't using theirs as much as they thought. Out of site, out of mind. Hopefully having it in the kitchen cupboard within easy reach will help make it disappear.
Either way is great. It's really up to personal preference and doing a hot water bath to can your jars is really very simple. Plus you get the added fun of hearing all the lids pop for those of you who are like me and easily amused.
In the end, we ended up doing approximately 41 pints of applesauce using only 5 of the buckets. I brought a bucket home and will be making some apple butter over the next few days. I haven't tried it before, but I've found some really great sites with simple instructions using my slow cooker.
______________________________________________
Have apples but haven't made applesauce before? Well, it's really very simple. The great part is that you can also do this very easily in small batches. You don't need an entire team or a whole day to do it. You can make it one pot at a time and simple put it directly into the fridge or freezer.
I recommend investing in a food grinder because this will make it WAY easier. You also have the option to pick a strainer tailored to the consistency of applesauce you like.
If you're using a food grinder, congratulations, you need only wash and cut your apples.
No coring. No peeling.
Your food grinder will remove all of these unwanteds and leave you with only delicious applesauce.
If not, get to work! Those apples won't peel themselves.
*We found it works best if your cutting slices rather than quartering. They just cook so much faster.
Once apples are cut they can go in a heavy pot with approximately 2-3 inches of water on the bottom. If you like cinnamon, go ahead and add in 1-2 sticks directly to pot.
Turn burner on high. Once the water starts to boil, reduce heat slightly and stir regularly adding water to pot as needed to prevent scorching. Apples will start to become soft and mushy.
Once all apples have reached a soft consistency you may remove pot from heat. Let cool slightly, remove cinnamon sticks, and run mixture through food grinder.
(No food grinder? Get mashing or use a food processor!)
Once you've collected a pan full of delicious, golden applesauce you may add sugar to taste (remember you can always add more when you eat it), scoop it into your containers and freeze. Make sure to leave about 1/2 inch of headroom to allow for expansion upon freezing!
Voila! You are an applesauce master and will be enjoying autumn all year round. It's like semi-solid sunshine in your belly.
Country bumpkin or nature lover? Use those apple gizzards as great compost or to feed the deer and other critters over winter. Just bag it up and throw it in the freezer- just make sure to label.
Don't miss out on other great recipes or any of the other fun...
I chose to freeze our applesauce in simple Gladware type containers left over from Year One. Personally, eating partially thawed applesauce with raspberries, blueberries or strawberries is a favored delicacy in my house. Last year we tried using freezer bags which wasn't too bad to complete, but they turned out to be a REAL PAIN when trying to serve. Giant mess & lots of wasted sauce if you ask me. The plastic containers are cheap, reusable, and the applesauce seems to freeze well with no freezer burn even at the end of a full 12 months.
Shelley & Sandie choose to can theirs. With a freezer located downstairs, Shelley found that they just weren't using theirs as much as they thought. Out of site, out of mind. Hopefully having it in the kitchen cupboard within easy reach will help make it disappear.
Either way is great. It's really up to personal preference and doing a hot water bath to can your jars is really very simple. Plus you get the added fun of hearing all the lids pop for those of you who are like me and easily amused.
 |
| Free Child Labor |
In the end, we ended up doing approximately 41 pints of applesauce using only 5 of the buckets. I brought a bucket home and will be making some apple butter over the next few days. I haven't tried it before, but I've found some really great sites with simple instructions using my slow cooker.
______________________________________________
Have apples but haven't made applesauce before? Well, it's really very simple. The great part is that you can also do this very easily in small batches. You don't need an entire team or a whole day to do it. You can make it one pot at a time and simple put it directly into the fridge or freezer.
I recommend investing in a food grinder because this will make it WAY easier. You also have the option to pick a strainer tailored to the consistency of applesauce you like.
Tools:
*Food Grinder with appropriate strainer attachment (optional- potato masher or food processor can work also)
*Large Pot
*Knife for slicing apples
*Cutting board
*Item for scooping hot applesauce (We use a large glass measuring cup)
*Containers (plastic tubs, freezer bags, freezer jars, etc)
*Sugar
*Cinnamon sticks (optional)
*Apples
If you're using a food grinder, congratulations, you need only wash and cut your apples.
No coring. No peeling.
Your food grinder will remove all of these unwanteds and leave you with only delicious applesauce.
If not, get to work! Those apples won't peel themselves.
*We found it works best if your cutting slices rather than quartering. They just cook so much faster.
Once apples are cut they can go in a heavy pot with approximately 2-3 inches of water on the bottom. If you like cinnamon, go ahead and add in 1-2 sticks directly to pot.
Turn burner on high. Once the water starts to boil, reduce heat slightly and stir regularly adding water to pot as needed to prevent scorching. Apples will start to become soft and mushy.
Once all apples have reached a soft consistency you may remove pot from heat. Let cool slightly, remove cinnamon sticks, and run mixture through food grinder.
(No food grinder? Get mashing or use a food processor!)
Once you've collected a pan full of delicious, golden applesauce you may add sugar to taste (remember you can always add more when you eat it), scoop it into your containers and freeze. Make sure to leave about 1/2 inch of headroom to allow for expansion upon freezing!
Voila! You are an applesauce master and will be enjoying autumn all year round. It's like semi-solid sunshine in your belly.
Country bumpkin or nature lover? Use those apple gizzards as great compost or to feed the deer and other critters over winter. Just bag it up and throw it in the freezer- just make sure to label.
Don't miss out on other great recipes or any of the other fun...
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