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| Brynwood Needleworks - A Perfect Day To Make Applesauce |
Handsome and I finally set about turning our apples into applesauce this past weekend. It rained the later part of the week, so we decided to wait a few days.
Saturday, we put the first peck of apples into our two slow cookers and let them stew the morning away. We had those jars canned by dinnertime, and started the second peck after that. We let them cook until we headed up to bed, and then turned them off overnight.
First thing yesterday, we started up again, and decided to put the other half bushel into our large Nesco™ roaster because it had a larger capacity. By late afternoon, all the apples were jarred and water bathed...and there was snow on the ground.
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| Brynwood Needleworks - Our First Snow Day |
The day began cool enough, and the forecast brought promised flurries. At first, the temperature kept the snow from sticking. It just melted on contact, but it got cooler as the day progressed, and the snow finally started to collect.
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| Brynwood Needleworks - Our Front Yard |
I took these two photographs of the yard right before dark. By nightfall, we had a dozen quarts, plus four pints of slow cooked applesauce in the pantry, and a nice blanket of snow in the yard. I'd say that's just about perfect.
The Applesauce looks delicious.
ReplyDeleteWe also had snow, it snuck up on us!
Have a great week!
Marilyn
Hi Marilyn:
DeleteI hadn't been paying attention to the weather reports, so I was surprised, too. Handsome knew it was coming and laughed at my reaction. The dogs loved it! I guess it's that time of year again.
Stay warm!
xo
Donna
Your applesauce looks so pretty (the snow? Not at all!!). Would you consider sharing your recipe for the applesauce? We made some but it's not as pretty as yours (do you leave the skins on???) and I really like the idea of using the slow cooker rather than the stovetop.
ReplyDeleteHi MA:
DeleteSure! You won't believe how simple it is! We start by washing the apples in our sink, and then cut them into quarters, only removing the stems and any seeds that fall out. Toss them into the slow cookers (or Nesco roasters) and add a little water (about 1/2 cup in a regular slow cooker). Cook down until the apples are mushy soft. Then, I place my mother-in-law's chinois (a pointed sieve on a stand) over my big, enamel pot and use the well-worn wooden tool that my MIL used to strain out the apple, leaving the seeds and skins behind. Repeat for all the apples. Once that's done, toss the stuff that stayed behind in the strainer and pour the applesauce into a big, heavy pot. A peck of apples yields about 17 cups of sauce. I add sugar to taste (about 2 1/4 c. around here), cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg (also to taste). Cook down until it's not real runny (about 15 minutes), stirring constantly. Put into prepared jars, leaving at least 1/2" headspace. Cover with canning lid and ring, and water bath for 20 minutes (we add 5 minutes for altitude). When the timer goes off, turn off the heat and let the jars sit in the water for 5 minutes so the jars won't siphon. Place on counter and let sit until until cooled.
The best part of this method is that there is almost no waste to the apples! Cutting the cores and removing the skins steals so much apple "meat". I don't do it anymore.
Hope this helps!
xo
Donna
Thanks Donna! I thought maybe you must have left the skins on to get that lovely pink colour I'm so kicking myself now because we used to have one of those sieve thingies and got rid of it when we moved here. Dang!!! Hmmmm - wonder how much a new one is....must look into that. We're planning to buy some apples on Thursday and planned to make applesauce anyway, pink or 'pale'. Thanks for writing it out for me!
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