09-29-2012, 07:33 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-29-2012, 07:36 PM by The_Colonel.)
APPLESAUCE
Made 8 pints of apple sauce last night, here is how:
The applesauce will taste MUCH better than anything you've ever had from a store, and by selecting the right apples, it will be so naturally-sweet that you won't need to add any sugar at all. Prepared this way, the jars have a shelf life of 18 months to 2 years, and require no special attention.
Ingredients and Equipment
Apples (see step 1)
Cinnamon - Optional (I did not use any because my grandmother never has. Many people do though.)
Jar grabber (to pick up the hot jars - optional, but makes life a bit easier)
Lid lifter (has a magnet to pick the lids out of the boiling water where you sterilize them - optional, but makes life a bit easier)
Jar funnel )optional, but makes life a bit easier)
At least 2 large pots
Large spoons and ladles
Canning jars (Big Lots, Wal-Mart carry then - about $8 per dozen pint jars including the lids and rings)
1 Water Bath Canner (a huge pot with a lifting rack to sterilize the jars of applesauce after filling, You CAN use a large pot instead, but the canners are deeper, and have a rack to make lifting the jars out easier. If you plan on canning every year, they're worth the investment.
Sieve: I have a Foley Food Mill that I got at a yard sale for a couple dollars.
Recipe and Directions
Step 1 - Selecting the apples
The most important step! You need apples that are sweet - NOT something like Granny Smith's. Yeah, I know you like them and even if I did, they still wouldn't make good applesauce - you'd have to add a lot of sugar. Instead, choose apples that are naturally sweet, like Red Delicious, Gala, Fuji, Rome and always use a mixture - never just one type. This time, I used Gala Red Delicious and Yellow Delicious. This meant it was so sweet I did not need to add any sugar at all. And the flavor is great! Honeycrisp and Pink Lady are also excellent, sweet, flavorful apples.
Step 2 - How many apples and where to get them
You can pick your own, or buy them at the grocery store. But for large quantities, you'll find that real* farmer's markets have them at the best prices.
You'll get about 12 to 16 quarts of applesauce per bushel of apples. Count on 13 or 14 quarts per bushel.
(Obviously, I used less apples, but this is the recipe and it doesn't change depending on the amount of apples.)
Step 3 - Wash the jars and lids
Now's a good time to get the jars ready, so you won't be rushed later. The dishwasher is fine for the jars, the water bath processing will sterilize
them as well as the contents! If you don't have a dishwasher, you can wash the containers in hot, soapy water and rinse, then sterilize the jars by boiling them 10 minutes, and keep the jars in hot water until they are used. Leave the jars in the dishwasher on "heated dry" until you are ready to use them. Keeping them hot will prevent the jars from breaking when you fill them with the hot applesauce.
Put the lids into a pan of boiling water for 5 minutes, and use the magnetic "lid lifter wand" to pull them out.
Step 4 -Wash and chop the apples!
I'm sure you can figure out how to wash the apples in plain cold water.
Chopping them is much faster if you use one of those apple corer/segmenters - you just push it down on an apple and it cuts it into segments. Note: You do not peel the apples! You will put the apple slices with skins into the pot to cook.
Step 5 - Cook the Apples
Pretty simple put about 1 inch of water (I used store brand apple juice) on the bottom of a huge, thick-bottomed pot. Put the lid on, and the heat on high. When it gets really going, turn it to medium high until
the apples are soft through and through.
Step 6 - Sieve the cooked apples
For this, I use a foley food mill. You just put the apples in and get cranking...
Step 7 - Season and keep the applesauce hot
Put the applesauce into a large pot. (optional) -> Add cinnamon to taste. You should not need to add any sugar. The applesauce does not need any further cooking; just keep it hot until you get enough made to fill the jars you will put into the canner.
Step 8 - Fill the jars and process them in the water bath
Fill them to within 1/4 inch of the top, wipe any spilled applesauce of the top, seat the lid and tighten the ring around them. Put them in the canner and keep them cover with at least 1 inch of water and boiling.
If you are at sea level (up to 1,000 ft) boil pint jars for 15 minutes and quart jars for 20 min.
Step 9 - Remove and cool the jars - Done
Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place usually takes overnight) You can then remove the rings if you like.
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“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms...disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes... Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.” ~Cesare Beccaria