Friday, October 9, 2009

Getting Saucy

About a week and a half ago, the boys and I went apple picking.
This was our haul. 3 bags of yummy fall apples.



I was determined to make applesauce. Chris cleared us out of my homemade canned applesauce this summer. Last fall I froze some, but that didn't really last either. My friend has a recipe for red hot applesauce, and Chris blew through it. I think I may have had a spoonful, so I wanted to get serious about applesauce. I also wanted to make some for Sam. So I figure with Sam and Chris I was going to need to get serious.

Chris enjoyed helping me out.


I made the first batch, which was the hodgepodge of apples we picked off different trees. Chris helped a bit with that. I basically boiled the apples, just cored them, left the peels on. But for Sam, I didn't want peels in them, so I started trying to sieve them out, but they would just disintegrate. I sat down until late that night, washed my hands, and picked out the peels by hand. That was the night, that Sam wanted up every 20 minutes; it was like he knew my hands were unavailable. My hands got washed a lot. They were pruny by the the time all was said and done.

There had to be an easier way.

So for the next batch, the red hot applesauce, was made from Cortland apples, which I cored and peeled first before boiling. Then I just boiled, and added red hots to taste. Red hots from the apple orchard, which were 'fresh' and scrumptious. I made it, and couldn't stop licking the spoon! Don't worry, I boiled it, so my cooties won't last. So I froze that too. The last bag I did yesterday, cutting and peeling my big bag of Galas First, before boiling. Then we canned them last night. I was bummed it only made 7 1/2 pints.

Here's the whole haul from all our apple adventures. Yum-O. Can't wait to get eating!



But you're right. That's not going to last us. I need to make more.

2 comments:

Kathy said...

I make applesauce for Andrew using Gala's - definitely peel, slice, core - boil - then puree!

Do you have one of those devices that does the peel, slice, and coring all in one step? It's quite handy. Ours was a gift.

http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Machine-Peeler-Corer-Slicer/dp/B000UZA2HQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1255126907&sr=8-1

Unknown said...

The applesauce looks great!!! Way to go! I've done a ton this year too, but we've eaten a lot of it or I've given it to my family. Last week I canned 20 cups of apple butter (probably to sell at the MOPS bake sale) and 10 pints of plain applesauce for some of my family that's just had babies!

Doug asked me if I was done with my apple projects and I said, "Probably not." thinking he was ready for me to be done. But he said, "Good, because I want an apple pie and more red hot applesauce!" So, more projects next week!