I found it quite appropriate that I was making applesauce today. It is the first day of Rosh Hashanah. For those that aren't Jewish it marks the beginning of the new year and is celebrated with apples and honey to make the new year sweet. And what can be sweeter than homemade applesauce?
Since I'm pressed for time, I'll just do a pictorial.
My way of getting the jars hot (so they don't break when put in the hot water).
Washing the apples.
Boiling them down (I don't remove the cores or peels at this stage).
Putting them through the strainer to remove the nasty bits.
Boiling some more and heating up the bath water.
Processing them.
The jar on the right is applesauce from last year. The jar on the left is this year's batch. This year I used Gravensteins and Macintosh. The Gravensteins are so green that it turned the whole sauce green. The Macs didn't have enough red on them to counteract this. It tastes pretty good, but looks a little weird. I'm used to a more pink sauce. Maybe next year I'll use a different variety, but there wasn't a choice at the farmers market.
All in all it made 13 1/2 pints of sauce from 20lbs of apples. I have to laugh at the Ball Blue Book because it says to add a 1/4c of sugar per pound of apples (or to taste). That would have been five cups of sugar. I added 1 1/2c to the pot. We like it slightly sweetened, but not horribly sweet. A taste test is a much better measure.
Thanks for the pictorial presentation of apple sauce making! 5 cups of sugar does sound like a lot of sugar. I'm like you, I like most things only slightly sweetened, if even that. I still drink my coffee black!
ReplyDeleteI make mine with macs and cortlands usually. Cinnamon but no sugar at all. And I like to leave it chunky. And to heat it in the microwave to eat it:)
ReplyDeleteI am used to yellow applesauce, neither green nor red. Maybe because I peel and core the apples before boiling them down I get it yellow. It's all good regardless of color, specially if we don't use too much sugar.
ReplyDeleteIronically, this is what I have to look forward to this weekend. :) You're right, that way waaaaay too much sugar. I tend to just add enough to make it palatable when hot because I think it really sweetens up when it reaches room temperature or is cold.
ReplyDeleteA timely post, I am just about to make apple sauce. They were just picked though so I am letting them ripen a bit first. Do you spice the sauce at all?
ReplyDeleteAngela, yes not using the peels will make the color difference.
ReplyDeleteWow it's just wonderful that you know how to can and preserve food and share it with us in your blog! Your canning and pickling posts are so inspirational!
ReplyDeleteI love homemade applesauce and preserve several jars in the fall. This year my parents apple tree did not produce due to a late frost on the blossoms, so I have been letting everyone know that if they know of anyone with apples they do not want to pick and use we would be more than happy to come pick for them. I hope to find enough to make both applesauce and apple juice this fall.
ReplyDelete-Brenda
I like mine just lightly sweetened or not at all. I can always sweeten it to taste when I'm ready to eat it. Thirteen and 1/2 pints is a nice amount! That would give me a meal a month and a batch or two of cookies.
ReplyDeleteShana Tova to you too.
ReplyDeleteSeems a little early for apple sauce but with the cooler nights, it's just around the corner for us.
I am hoping to pick up a box or two of apples on my way back home from visiting my mother in about two weeks. I pass through central Washington (my old homestead area) and usually break up the drive by stopping at the big produce barn in Thorp where the Yakima Vally and Wenatchee growers are well represented with the fresh fruit and veggies of the season. Some apples, maybe pears if still available, will be making the ride home with me that Sunday.
ReplyDeletethyme, oh I can't take bitter coffee without way too much sugar and milk. I only drink things like lattes.
ReplyDeleteKaren, I love that combo too, but the cortlands weren't out yet. Cortlands are great too because they stay so white when cooked. They make a very pretty applesauce.
Angela, I think so too. It is all good. But if I brought applesauce to a party for some reason, I would bring the pretty version, not the green one.
Thomas, true. I make sure it is sweet enough that my daughter will eat it. I'm always trying to make her eat since she loses weight whenever she leaves home.
Dan, I add a tablespoon of cinnamon to the whole batch. You can taste it if you really try, but it isn't really strong. I might make a stronger batch with a little cloves next.
Jane, The winter is very long here. I like to eat things from the garden (even if these apples aren't, they are IPM and local) all winter long if I can. I still have to visit the grocery store for veggies, but not as many this way.
Sense of Home, that so sad. I hope to have a couple of trees planted next year. I hope you find your gleened apples.
Granny, I confess to liking that touch of added sweetness, just not a lot. That one batch isn't enough though. I think I went through about 20 pints last year, but could have eaten more. I'll probably try another 20lb batch.
johanna, our apples season starts here in mid August with Ginger Golds and goes through October. It was a nice day for canning as it was cold outside.
kitsapFG, that sounds like a fun way to pick up fruit.
I have only made fresh applesauce to feed my babies, I have never canned it but I would like to. But I don't add any sugar at all....so I wonder if that is a problem when boiler canning? Does it matter, do you know?
ReplyDeleteShawn Ann, no it doesn't matter if you use sugar or not. It is safe either way.
ReplyDeleteyum! i made a batch yesterday. my boys go nuts for apple sauce, so it is a definite hit in my house. makes me dream of a tasty applesauce cake in my future.
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