Applesauce Canning Day

[Lori in PA]

Yesterday was our family's annual (or sometimes biennial if we make enough) Applesauce Canning Day. This time, we processed 35 quarts plus kept about 7 quarts fresh in the fridge, which we decided not to can because we were so pooped and it was getting late. We live right in the middle of the highest apple-producing county in PA, so this is a natural for us, almost a duty. Dh LOVES homemade applesauce, more specifically, MY homemade applesauce. He helps a lot with the processing, but no one is allowed to sweeten and spice each batch but me, according to him. Unfortunately, in mid-afternoon he and our daughter were called out to a house fire (they are volunteer firefighters), so I was left to tend range alone. Next time, we've got to make less -- my energy level just isn't up to this amount of output. The trouble is, our two boys are entering the stage where they vacumn up everything in sight. I don't think either of them would have any difficulty at all eating a whole quart at a time if they thought it was allowed.

(Have I ever used three smilies in one post in my life? I don't think so.)

[jackal10]

Where are the pictures???

When I can applesauce, after a while (say 6 months) it starts to go brown. Should Ihave added Vitamin C?

[Lori in PA]

Wouldn't pictures be great? Sadly, I'm behind the times technologically speaking, so let's pretend we're in the 19th century and this a beautifully written letter that took a few weeks to reach you across the Atlantic. Imagine the scene: The kitchen is a 13 year-old remodel in a 100 year-old typical PA Dutch woodframe farmhouse in a tiny town in south central Pennsylvania. It is not a high-end remodel; rather, it is a Formica/linoleum middle-class job, though it is extremely functional and a pleasant heart of this home.

Big, crisp Nittany apples are washed, cut into quarters, and simmered in a bit of water in a big black spatterware enameled pot on the gas stove until they are mushy. When the lid is lifted to stir them up, wafts of apple-y steam meander through the kitchen and out into the October sunshine. The cooked apples are squooshed through a Victorio strainer, a wondrous device that separates the apple flesh from the peels and cores. Sauce emerges from one aperature, detritus bound for the compost heap comes out of another. The sauce is sweetened with sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves, which add their own sharp notes to the fragrant air. The hot sauce is ladled into quart Mason jars, which alone are privy to their history beyond the years in this house. (Who knows how many hands have filled and emptied them with who knows what bounties?) Methodically, the rims are wiped clean, flats applied, and bands tightened in place. Into the tall pressure canner they go for 0 minutes at 15 psi. They are gingerly lifted out one by one and set on a clean bath towel in an out of the way spot on the kitchen floor. Most are already sealed, but a few surprise the workers with their soft but distinct "ding!" as they complete the preservation process.

Next morning, the sticky bands are removed (there is always some sauce leakage in the canner and it takes only a smidgen to coat all the jars with sweet residue) and the jars are soaked, six at a time, in a bath of warm water in one side of the sink. They are scrubbed gently all over to remove the tacky mold-growing apple coating and set on another clean towel on the island. When finally dry, the lids are labeled with the year and they are ready to be ferried to the basement pantry shelves. But first, the cook takes a few moments to enjoy them in all their glory -- they stand in rows like soldiers awaiting orders, sparkling in a shaft of sunlight from the back door. She is tired, to be sure, but this moment is pure pleasure. She smiles thinking of the delight she'll have in the months to come when she fetches one of these jars up to the kitchen and pours the contents into a bowl, a jar full of October's essence to add to the family table.

[Lori in PA]

I don't add Vitamin C to mine, though I'm sure you could. The color does darken somewhat as time goes by, but since I spice my sauce before canning it anyway, we don't really notice it until I take the new jars down to the basement and place the few old jars beside them.

[Rebecca263]

squooshed.... yum

[ludja]

Thanks for the lovely letter, Lori in PA. It was worth the wait.

Congrats on your canning extravaganza!

Were the Nittany apples developed at Penn State or are they just a local variety that has persisted?

I just learned of Marlborough Pie (an old traditional recipe from MA?New England) that uses grated apples or applesauce and a custard. Also flavored w/nutmeg and a bit of sherry or rum. I'm thinking of testing it out before Thanksgiving.

Do you make many things with applesauce or do you mainly eat it alone? or with cream...?

Edited October 19, 2005 by ludja (log)

[andiesenji]

Wonderful description of your applesauce extravaganza!

I love the aroma that goes all through my house (and around the neighborhood) when I make a batch.

One of my favorite childhood treats was the little half pint jars that were canned for me and my cousins, red hots, cinnamon candies were stirred into the last of the applesauce just before filling the little jars.

The color and flavor made for a perfect treat as these were usually saved for when we were ill.

Apple custard pie or Marlborough pie was not just a New England dish but in western Kentucky also and showed up at church socials.

Often it was made with a crust of crumbled saltines or Ritz crackers instead of pie crust. I have no idea why and when I discussed this with my aunts, they are as much in the dark as I am but do recall some people made them this way.

[jackal10]

I love your description.

I really want a Victorio Strainer. That would have save me hours of sieving. Where can I get one, or an electric equivalent in the UK?

[Lori in PA]

Here is an ebay page:

http://search-desc.ebay.com/Victorio-Strai...Z2QQxpufuZxQ5A1

Mine is at least 30 years old -- it's really my folks' but they share it with us, since we now do most of the putting up. It is not electric, but the cranking isn't hard, especially if one has children to help.

Thanks for the kind words, everyone. Jackal, I think your most recent blog was the first one I read when I discovered eGullet. I enjoyed it so very much. May I admit my only "disappointment" was that it chipped away a little more at the illusion I continue to try to hold that Oxford is the same as it was when C.S. Lewis walked its grounds?

[Lori in PA]

Nittany apples are a newish variety and, yes, they were developed by Penn State University. They are not widely known, which surprises me, because they are not only my family's very favorite apple but are also universally loved by everyone we introduce them to. They "come in" in October, are very crisp, are nicely balanced between sweet and tart, and are perfect for everything -- eating out of hand, sauce, pies, stewing, etc. Their only drawback, and it is very minor, is that they aren't the most beautiful. They are sometimes slightly lopsided in shape and are green-ish/yellow-ish/reddish with a darker red blush.

[Lori in PA]

What do I do with applesauce? Mostly we eat it plain for breakfast or for dessert. Sometimes I make applesauce cake with caramel icing with it. Sometimes we stir some into plain yogurt and top it with homemade granola. Sometimes we put it on waffles. Of course, it cures all tummy sicknesses. :-)

[jackal10]

Thanks Lori. I really want a UK supplier as the shipping would otherwise be too expensive. I think there are italian versions used for tomato sauce.

I don't know about Oxford, but here in Cambridge not that much has changed in essence. C.S. Lewis, Charles Darwin and CP Snow would still recognise the place

[Lori in PA]

Well, here's me blushing, Jackal! Is that just about the most typical Ugly American error re UK I could make or what? I was picturing you at Oxford. Oxford? Cambridge? Are they really that different?

She trails off shaking her head and muttering to herself...

Lori

[jackal10]

Not really on topic, but Oxford and Cambridge are very different

"Oxford is the city of dreaming spires, ehile Cambridge is the city of pespring dreams"

Oxford has about twice the population of Cambridge, a large former industrial base (a big car plant), and is closer to London. The University is also traditionally more arts and politics oriented. Cambridge is smaller, more concentrated, and moe science and technology oriented.

Food wise because Oxford is larger it can support a more diverse range of restaurants and has Le Manoir au Quat Seasons nearby, while Cambridge is in the middle of the Fens, and major agricultural area.

I see I can get a tomato strainer as a mixer atachment...

[Lori in PA]

Not really on topic, but Oxford and Cambridge are very different

"Oxford is the city of dreaming spires, ehile Cambridge is the city of pespring dreams"

Oxford has about twice the population of Cambridge, a large former industrial base (a big car plant), and is closer to London. The University is also traditionally more arts and politics oriented. Cambridge is smaller, more concentrated, and moe science and technology oriented.

Food wise because Oxford is larger it can support a more diverse range of restaurants and has Le Manoir au Quat Seasons nearby, while Cambridge is in the middle of the Fens, and major agricultural area.

Thanks for the descriptions of the two towns, and sleep has made me feel a little less UA this morning, as well.  Approximate population of each?  Student body size?  I shall comfort myself by recalling that Lewis began at Oxford and ended at Cambridge anyway.

I see I can get a tomato strainer as a mixer atachment...

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The tomato attachment is what one uses for applesauce, too. In fact those are the two uses of the Victorio in this family, though I no longer can tomatoes and sauce since I found an inexpensive source of imported Italian products I like just as well.

[Lori in PA]

Not really on topic, but Oxford and Cambridge are very different

"Oxford is the city of dreaming spires, ehile Cambridge is the city of pespring dreams"

Oxford has about twice the population of Cambridge, a large former industrial base (a big car plant), and is closer to London. The University is also traditionally more arts and politics oriented. Cambridge is smaller, more concentrated, and moe science and technology oriented.

Food wise because Oxford is larger it can support a more diverse range of restaurants and has Le Manoir au Quat Seasons nearby, while Cambridge is in the middle of the Fens, and major agricultural area.

Thanks for the descriptions of the two towns, and sleep has made me feel a little less UA this morning, as well.  Approximate population of each?  Student body size?  I shall comfort myself by recalling that Lewis began at Oxford and ended at Cambridge anyway.

I see I can get a tomato strainer as a mixer atachment...

←

The tomato attachment is what one uses for applesauce, too. In fact those are the two uses of the Victorio in this family, though I no longer can tomatoes and sauce since I found an inexpensive source of imported Italian products I like just as well.

←

Oops -- how'd I manage to get part of my reply in the quote? Pardon the new girl... Here's what I said above:

Thanks for the descriptions of the two towns, and sleep has made me feel a little less UA this morning, as well. Approximate population of each? Student body size? I shall comfort myself by recalling that Lewis began at Oxford and ended at Cambridge anyway.

[liamsaunt]

Yum, applesauce. We just made 20 quarts of it last weekend. I store mine in a stand alone freezer to keep it from discoloring. It does not seem to affect the taste or texture.

[ludja]

Yum, applesauce.  We just made 20 quarts of it last weekend.  I store mine in a stand alone freezer to keep it from discoloring.  It does not seem to affect the taste or texture.

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Sounds like you have some access to an abundance of apples as well, liamsaunt! Do you typically use one apple variety or a mix?

[TMus1111]

I have a question - my Mother has recently shared her recipe for applesauce with me and I made it for the 1st time last weekend. I do not have a pressure canner or any canner for that matter - but I would love to make lots of applesauce and store it to use all winter. Can I just put it in mason jars and store it in the freezer or in some other storage container. If not, is there some other way I can make a few jars to keep for a few weeks at least. Please forgive my canning ignorance - and thanks for any advice.

Teresa

[Lori in PA]

You can certainly freeze your applesauce, Teresa. I used to do that instead of canning, but don't have the freezer space anymore -- it's taken up with venison, etc. now. I'm not sure how long applesauce will keep fresh in the fridge -- I think it will go back after 1 1/2 weeks or so.

[Lori in PA]

Applesauce Day, Again 10-10-06 07:57am EST

Has it been a year already? Throughout the past months, I’ve been determined not to make as much applesauce this year as we canned last year – too much work, too tired, too much mess. Last year it was about 42 quarts. Yesterday, we managed to process 64 quarts . Famous last words, indeed.

The cast of characters:

--Lori, whose energy and interest in this day-long project flags a bit more each year: the supervisor, the seasoner of the sauce, the filler of jars, and the chronicler of the day.

--Kevin aka The Husband, whose enthusiasm for the project makes up for his wife’s lack: the organizer of the pots, the driver of the children/slave labor, the lifter of heavy canners, and the major consumer of the finished product

--Jonathan and Samuel, who begin to rival their father in the sauce consumption department: the washers/cutters of the fruit, the plopper-inners of the cooked apples into the Victorio Strainer, and the turners of the Victorio handle

The moments of grace:

--Time together working on a mutual goal – always a good thing

--The realization, with thankfulness, that it is no longer necessary for us to preserve ALL of our food for the winter

--The aroma – cooking apples + cloves + October air = memories of all the other Applesauce Days, the ones with little children underfoot and with my dear-friend-who-moved-away cutting and pouring and tightening jar bands beside me – nostalgia accompanies me throughout all my motions

--The realization, again with thankfulness, that those little children formerly underfoot have grown into young people with the oh-so-desirable traits of diligence, cheerfulness, and competence, at least a good deal of the time – we’re getting there, we’re getting there!

The Source:

The Production:

The Seasoning:

The Finished Product:

The Reward for the Exhausted Workers:

And, of course, dessert was:

[christine007]

Beautiful job! I use to can my own pickles and the end results are very well worth the trouble.

[KitchenQueen]

I am so envious. And the original description was a thing of beauty.

In Houston I haven't bought an apple in ages that wasn't cornmeal mush consistency with the flavor of dampened newspaper.

At least most of them have the decency not to start rotting till they've been in my house for at least 12 hours.

Peaches seem to be the same. You'd at least think we could get a decent Georgia peach. I'm beginning to think everything sold here comes from Chile or Hell in wagons pulled by snails. 6 months from picking, VIOLA! They're on our supermarket shelves.

Perhaps central Market might have decent apples and peaches, but it's just way to far for someone on the far northwest area to get to on a regular basis.

Anyway, enjoy every bite ! I envy you.

[KitchenQueen]

I just spent 45 seconds going NUTS trying to figure out what kind of hanging/broiler contraption you had. Never seen anything like it !!!

Then I tilted my empty little head to the right.

I'm still laughing out loud.

[Lori in PA]

I just spent 45 seconds going NUTS trying to figure out what kind of hanging/broiler contraption you had. Never seen anything like it !!!

Then I tilted my empty little head to the right.

I'm still laughing out loud.

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Sorry! I was posting in a huge hurry, with the family urging me, "C'mon, we've gotta go now!" (Must remember to hit that rotate key...)