What are you canning now?

[galanie]

Canned 30 jars ( some half pints for gift baskets and some pints) of applesauce yesterday. I started with about a bushel of apples. Well- the orchard gave me "half bushel" bags, so who knows.
I put a little bit of water in the bottom of the pot (largest stock pot you can find).
Cut the apples into 8 wedges-peels and all, and throw into the pot. Add cinnamon if you want.
Steam until apples are mushy and falling off the peel. They will look like pink applesauce with peels mixed in. Pass through a food mill (I use the Roma mill-creates the least among of mill of any I've used). Jar it (hot pack) leaving 1 inch of head space, water bath for 20 minutes.

Mother used to do this but she'd core the apples first, then after cooking add a few Red Hots and just blend them. Peels and all. Then it had a reason to be red, it was cinnamon applesauce! LOL!

 

[mickey328]

That's how Grandma made hers! I've never heard of anyone else using the Red Hots...that's so cool! We peel, quarter and core them, then slice them in about 1/4 inch slices. Cook just till tender in as little water as we can get away with, add a dash of salt to bring out the flavor, some lemon juice and the Red Hots. When it's done, we taste...sometimes need to add a touch of sugar and/or more lemon juice. I love it chunkier than when it's gone through a mill. It's more work but I love it! It's awesome mixed with some cottage cheese, and so pretty too.

 

[off-grid hen]

Red hots as in chili peppers?

 

[krcote]

As in the small red candies.

 

[Pozees]

I think back in the day, families were much bigger and quarts were pretty much the standard. I know my father's mother did everything in quarts, but they also had a family of 6 to feed, so it would make sense. Nowadays we're luckier to have such a variety of sizes so we can use what makes more sense portion wise.

LOL, it reminds me of a story I heard once. This family had a recipe for a certain type of beef roast that had been passed down for several generations. It involved cutting off a certain piece of the meat before cooking. One day a little girl asked why. Nobody knew. After checking with all the older generations, they found out that it was because the originator of the recipe's pan wasn't big enough to hold the whole thing, so she cut off a piece. LOL....talk about habit!

LOL that is a great story

 

[Cryptkeeper]

This morning I picked almost 7 lbs of jalapenos so cowboy candy here we go again. My tomatoes have all but fizzled out for the year, still getting a hand full of cherry tomatoes every 3 days or so, getting a couple zucchini a week(if I can beet the chickens to them) other than peppers my garden is done for the year

Sure am going to miss the fresh veggies for supper every night.

on another note; granny smith apples, what are they used best for?? I can pick them up for .77c a lb this week. Apple sauce? butter?

 

[Happy Chooks]

on another note; granny smith apples, what are they used best for?? I can pick them up for .77c a lb this week. Apple sauce? butter?

Apple butter, apple jam, applesauce, apple pie, apple crisp, canned apple pie filling.....................you can pretty much do anything with them.

 

[mickey328]

Yep, granny smith's are all around good apples...good firm flesh and a nice tart/sweet taste. If I can't get Macs I go for the granny smiths. They take a bit longer to cook and aren't quite as juicy but really do taste good

 

[PuffyChick]

I am totally addicted to this pressure canner!

I did 12 pints of spaghetti sauce today (with meat) and it turned out lush!.

I need a "dinty Moore" Beef stew copycat recipe now. I want cans and cans of beef stew!

Why is it oddly so much easier to pressure can than water bath? (except for the time waiting) I just go ZEN like when I am pressure canning ..LOL


EDIT: I ment to add I am a pint girl too. I dont get the point of quarts and we have a family of 4, I "might" start it for things like dinner meals, Chili, spaghetti, stew, But I like not wasting anything and so might opt to just open 2 cans so if I like I can open 1 can for a lunch meal.

Why do we call them cans? Shouldnt it be Jars and "Jarring"

 

[erinszoo]

Canned (or jarred as has been suggested) 3 1/2 pints of pear honey today and started pears for ginger pears and pear preserves.