One More Apple Day...

It was all hands on deck to can the last of the apples we got ten days ago. I decided that the bulk of what we had left would become apple pie filling, with the remaining apples going toward a couple more jars of applesauce. I had already prepared the apples for the pie filling, and Handsome was cutting up the rest to go into the Nesco™roaster to cook down.

While Handsome was doing that, I was making the apple pie filling. It was gorgeous, and already tasty as soon as the ingredients were all mixed and heated in my Kilner™ pot.

Rather than heat up the kitchen with a roaster and the water bath canner, I set up a little outdoor kitchen on the porch. Once the jars were filled, and had the lids secured, it was into my trusty electric canner.

Twenty five minutes later, the quart jars were finished processing. I turned off the canner and removed the cover to let the jars stand in the water for about fifteen more minutes to avoid siphoning the contents. It worked like a charm. 

It wasn't long before the apples in the roaster were sufficiently cooked down to be able to put everything through my dear mother-in-law's chinois to separate the pulp from the seeds and skin. By that time, my cooking pot was washed and waiting to ready the applesauce mixture (apples, cinnamon, nutmeg and a wee bit of sugar) for the jars.

When all was said and done, there were six sealed quart jars of apple pie filling, a partial pint for using in the next few days to make homemade apple tarts or hand pies, and two more quarts of applesauce. All the jars are already cleaned, rings removed, labeled, and placed on the pantry shelf well before bed time. 

Tomorrow, I'll share photos from our Saturday Craft Day in Portage. I must say it was a lovely and productive weekend, indeed.