Applesauce

Applesauce is really tasty, especially when you play around with spices.  This year, we canned all of the applesauce in 8 oz. jars, for one serving-portions.  These will be great to bring to work for lunches and avoid those sad larger jars that languish in the fridge.  This batch was based off of the USDA recipe, with some candied ginger and cinnamon for a twist on a classic.  Costs came out to be about $0.75 per jar, not including the cost of the jar itself.

• 13.5 lbs. apples, peeled, cored and sliced (ideally, use a mix of apple types- we used honey crisp, crispin, and ginger gold)
• 1/2 cup water or apple cider
• 1 cup sugar (adjust if your apples are more or less sweet)
• 2 tbsp. cinnamon
• 3-4 pieces candied ginger, finely minced

Peelin'. coring' and slicin'

1. Wash, peel, and core apples. If desired, slice apples into water containing citric acid (or lemon juice) to prevent browning.

Equipment upgrade! Review to follow in later post...

2. Placed drained slices in an 8- to 10-quart pot.  Add  water or cider. Stirring occasionally to prevent burning, heat quickly until tender (5 to 20 minutes, depending on maturity and variety).

Candied ginger, minced

3.  Sauce may be packed without sugar. Add sugar and spices, whisking into the sauce. Taste and add more, if preferred. Reheat sauce to boiling. Fill jars with hot sauce, leaving ½-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process for 15 minutes.

Lots'o jars!

Yield: 22 x 8 oz. jars