KJ's Ladies: Up, Up, Up! It's Apple Picking Time!

Today I was feeling really homey and decided to "put up" some applesauce. We don't have a lot of freezer space so I can all my apples. A friend of mine wanted to know how I canned... so I did a little pictorial for her and anyone else who reads this can come along on the journey.

So, first is the cast of characters... I have learned over the years not just any apple makes good apple sauce. I did not have time to go and pick my own apples this year, so I went to my local orchard and bought from the stand. I usually look for one that has good texture, a firm white apple. This year my favorite apple was available, the macowan! (mmmm, a few of those may not have reached the pot), then I look for one that has a very sweet taste, usually a little softer apple, I choose my daughter's favorite, honey crisp (a few more that didn't make the pot) and last but not least one for color because I like pink applesauce. Doesn't matter what kind it is as long as it is really really red. The redest on the stand this year was Empire so they rounded out the party in the pot.

I loosely follow this recipe http://www.freshpreserving.com/recipe.aspx?r=126. So first off, quarter the apples and throw in a pot, skin, seeds and all. Add a little water in pot to keep them from sticking on the bottom. Everyone in the pool...

Go retrieve a few missing apples...

Let them bask in that nice steam bath until they are all mushy and brownish (but not burnt).

Now unless your hubby has been super nice to you and bought you one of these nifty attachments for your mixer like this...

your gonna need a food mill that looks like this...

so you take those nicely steamed, warm apples, and pour them in the top and turn the crank (or turn on the mixer) and out comes this beautiful pink applesauce that looks like this...

and the skins and seeds (or apple poop as my kiddos call it) get caught in the top....

Now add sugar to your taste, I added about 3 cups....

Then put it all back in pot for another warm up or until it simmers gently. While you are doing that you are going to need to warm up those canning jars, so get a LARGE pot of water boiling (a word to the wise it takes about 20 minutes for that pot to come to a boil) and put the canning jars in it for about 10 minutes. You will need to time it so that your jars are hot when your applesauce is hot again.

Then take the jars out of the boiling water and fill with hot applesauce almost to the top...

Put the lids and rings on and make sure they are tightly secure cause they are going for a dip in the hot boiling water...

After it nice a hot with a simmering boil, let em hang out together for 20 minutes. Then when they come out you should have a nice looking batch of pink ladies...