My sister and I got together yesterday and canned our own applesauce. Yes, this is the color it turned out. This is because of the variety of apples I used.  We wait for these special apples every year. They are beautiful and they make the best tasting applesauce.

Making your own applesauce is not very hard to do and if you are going to make enough for one meal/jar, you might just as well make enough to store in the cupboard. It's relatively easy to do and you will be thanking yourself in the coming months that you did!

The name of the apples that we used are Sweet Tart. They are a relatively new variety. We bought them at a local farm marker here in the valley called Spur Brothers Farms.  They had drafted several kinds of apples together and came up with this rather unique variety. Last year was the first time they had them for sale.

They have a rosy, red/green skin and don't really look that remarkable from the outside.

As soon as you cut them open however, you realize that this is no ordinary apple!  They are simply beautiful inside.  Just look at that color!  I have never seen an apple this color before. I think they are simply brilliant.

Not only are they a good tart eating apple, but they are fabulous for cooking, and they have quickly become a favorite here in our area. They are flying off the shelves in the Farm Market as quickly as they put them out. People have actually been waiting for them to come into season. 

I know my sister and I were checking Spurs every week to see if they had them in yet and as soon as they did, we jumped on them.  They make the most beautiful applesauce.

I started off by peeling my apples and cutting out the cores. I used a vegetable peeler, and you will be surprised at the tool I use to cut out the cores.

I us a metal measuring teaspoon. The edge of it is just sharp enough to be able to carve out those seeds, etc. beautifully.

 

Nothing goes to waste. My apple quarters went into my saucepan along with some acidulated water.  By that I mean water to which I had added 2 TBS of fresh lemon juice. This will help keep them from browning.  I only had about 2 inches of water in the bottom of the saucepan along with the lemon juice.  I turned the apples over in it when I added them.

The lemon juice will also help them to preserve properly.  As apples are a low acid fruit, it is recommended that you add lemon juice.

Everything else, the cores, peels, etc. went into my Lomi Kitchen Countertop Composter.  There it will be turned into the perfect compost to add to my gardens.

A quantity of sugar is also needed if you are wanting to make sweetened applesauce, or if your apples are very tart. That, of course is down to personal preference.  My sister did not add any to hers.  You can also add spices if you want to make a spiced applesauce.

I don't like my applesauce too tart and so I added 1 TBS of sugar for every apple I used. This still made for a lovely tart applesauce.  You could of course use more than that if you wished.

There was only about 2 inches of cold water in the base of the saucepan. You only want enough to keep your apples from sticking and burning. You don't want a really liquid applesauce. I like mine thick.

Bring it to the boil and then pop a lid on and reduce to a simmer.  Cook at a slow simmer until the apples have all softened.  Stir occasionally to make sure that they don't catch on the bottom.

This is the water bath canner that my sister has.  I used to have one of those, but of course all of my things got left in the U.K.  I have one on my Amazon wish list and will replace it eventually, but in the meantime my sister is happy to let me use hers whenever I need to.

It is a lovely size and will can 7 jars at a time.  Enamel coated with a removable rack and a lid.

We filled it halfway with water and kept the applesauce hot on the back of her stove over a slow heat with a trivet underneath it so it wouldn't catch. 

You will want to make sure your jars and lids are clean and sterile.  We washed both in hot soapy water, rinsed and dried, and then checked the jars to make sure there were no nicks in the rims. They were actually new jars.

The sealing part of the lids were then put into boiling water and heated thoroughly.

My sister sterilized the jars in a 250*F/121*C oven.  Some people don't like sterilizing and heating their jars this way, but we have never had any issues with doing it this way. They have never cracked or broken.

We put them into a large shallow casserole dish to make it easier to take them out of the oven.

 

 

As you can see the water-bath preserved the jars perfectly. All of the lids popped down proving a good seal. If any of your jars don't seal, you can just refrigerate them and then eat them first.

Five pounds of apples gave me 8 and 3/4 half pint jars of applesauce. 

I just love, LOVE the color of the applesauce these apples make!  So much so that yesterday I went to the shop after we finished canning the first batch to pick up another bag. I am not sure I will make more applesauce, but I think they would make fabulous pies or cakes, etc.

Are you a fan of preserving your own foods?  If so you might also enjoy the following:

CRABAPPLE JELLY -  This is the most beautiful jelly. It is a lovely deep pink color and looks just like a jewel. It also have a beautiful flavor.  You will need to make it now while the crabapples are fresh! A complete Tutorial.

CRANBERRY CHUTNEY - I make this pretty much every year. It is  the perfect chutney to enjoy along with your Christmas meats and poultry. It also goes great on chacurterie and cheese trays. It is a lovely combination of sweet, tart and spice. This is one of my all time favorite chutneys. A most delicious conserve indeed.

Yield: 8 half-pint jars

Author: Marie Rayner

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How to Make & Can Applesauce (Complete Tutorial)

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 30 M

There is nothing on earth quite as tasty as homemade canned applesauce. You can make your sauce as sweet or as tart as you prefer.

Ingredients

• 5 pounds (2 3/4 kg) of apples, peeled, cored, quartered and treated with 2 TBS of lemon juice to help prevent them from browning
• sugar as desired (I used 1 TBS per apple used)
• water

Instructions

1. Combine acidulated apples in a large stainless-steel saucepan, along with just enough water to keep them from sticking, and the sugar.
2. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and leave to cook over low heat until the apples have all softened. This will depend on the variety of apple you have used. Mine took about 25 minutes.
3. Carefully beat with a wire whisk or a fork to give you the consistency you enjoy. (I like mine a bit chunky.) Taste and adjust sugar as needed.
4. Keep simmering over low heat while you prepare the jars, lids and water bath canner.
5. Ladle hot applesauce into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace at the top of the jars. Remove air bubbles and wipe rims clean if dirty with a clean cloth. Center lids on jars, and apply the screw bands, tightening only until finger-tip tight.
6. Place the jars into your water-bath canner, ensuring they are completely covered by at least 1 inch to 2 inches of water. Bring to the boil.
7. Process for 20 minutes in boiling water for 1/2 pints or pints. Remove canner lid.
8. Leave to sit for 5 minutes. Remove from the canner to a soft surface. (I use tea towels.) Leave to cool completely before storing in a cool dark and dry place.

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A while back someone had requested that I make Piccalilli.  I had never made Piccalilli before and I have to confess it has never been one of my favorite things, but I thought that this year I would make a small batch just to try it.

I have only ever had commercially made piccalilli and I have always found it to be too sharp and vinegary for my taste.  I was loathe to make a full batch recipe of any kind of piccalilli, but I do like to try new things and so I went for it, making a small batch.  Even if I did love it, I could never use up a full batch all by myself.

Piccalilli is a very British pickled condiment, tracing back to the days of the Great British Empire, with recipes dating back to the mid 18th century. One of the first known recipes comes a 1694 recipe book by Anne Blencoe crediting someone named Lord Kilmory.  It was also called Indian Pickle or Picca Lillo.

I did not go back that far to find a recipe for mine. I source this recipe from a favorite British Cookbook of mine, Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course, which was a gift to me on my birthday in 2003.  Delia Smith was one of the first television cooks that I used to watch when I first moved over to the U.K. and I trust her recipes implicitly.  This book is one of the few treasures I chose to bring back with me when I came back to Canada in 2020.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yield: 2 1/2 pounds (5 to 6 pints)

Author: Marie Rayner

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Sweet Piccalilli

If you cannot find runner beans you may use frozen string beans to make this tasty pickle/relish. This is a very British condiment, a much beloved and integral part of a cold meats tray, especially during the holidays.

Ingredients

• 1 medium cauliflower, trimmed and chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 pound (225g) small onions, peeled, quartered and cut across
• 2 cups (480ml) distilled malt vinegar (try to get the white) plus 2 1/2 TBS
• 1/4 of a whole nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 English cucumber, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 pound (225g) runner beans, trimmed and coarsely chopped
• 3/4 cup (175g) caster sugar (fine granulated sugar)
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed together with 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 TBS (28g) dry mustard powder
• 2 TBS (14g) ground turmeric
• 3 level TBS plain all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 TBS water

Instructions

1. You will need a large saucepan and five - six (clean and sterile) 1/2 pint canning jars.
2. Place the cauliflower, onions and 2 cups of vinegar into the saucepan. Add the nutmeg and allspice and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 8 minutes.
3. Uncover and add the cucumber, beans and sugar. Smash the garlic together with the salt on a cutting board and then scrap this in as well.
4. Bring the mixture up to the simmer again, then cover and cook on low for a further five minutes. The vegetables should be crispy tender, not mushy.
5. Set a colander over a clean saucepan and drain the vegetable mixture, catching the vinegar in the bowl underneath. Reserve the hot vinegar mixture.
6. Whisk the flour, mustard powder, and turmeric together in a bowl. Slowly whisk in the additional vinegar to give you a smooth paste. Gradually whisk in about a cup of the hot vinegar mixture to combine smoothly.
7. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in the remaining hot vinegar and boil gently for about 5 minutes. Stir in the drained vegetables to combine well and heat through.
8. Divide the piccalilli between the five hot and sterile jars,, wiping the rims of the jars clean once filled. Screw on the lids and set aside to seal. If desired you can process the piccalilli in a water bath, but it isn't really necessary.
9. This should sit for 3 months before eating. Store in a cool dry place.

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