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Preserving the Harvest - Page 31

post #601 of 688
10/12/08 at 10:40am
I may be crazy here, but I'm hoping to get a bunch of wild apples for FREE - just a little work involved. We got loads and made them into apple cider, but now I want to go pick for Apple Sauce/Apple Butter. I plan on just quartering them and then running them through my foodmill. I did that even with some that I know have been sprayed - I just washed'm real good before hand. We eat them whole though too from the same place (good, tasty, local. Just not organic!), so I guess I'm just not that worried.

Really though, if you live in a rural-ish area, I highly, highly, recommend driving around and asking folks if you can pick their apples. Lots of folks don't use'm for anything and are more than happy to let you have'm! They're just happy they're getting USED for soemthing and not just rotting on the trees!!

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post #602 of 688
10/13/08 at 12:54am

Beets leaking

Katheek - your beets should be fine as long as they sealed. It is normal for jars to boil some liquid out during processing - especially if you are pressure canning and it gets a little over pressure.
post #603 of 688
10/13/08 at 10:06am
Thank you Blooming and Carlyn for the drying advice!
post #604 of 688
10/13/08 at 2:04pm
I have a question that I can't seem to find the answer to. I have almost 2 bushels of apples that we'll be making lots of applesauce from. I'd like to do apple butter for Christmas gifts, too but I don't have a food mill. Can I just peel/core/quarter the apples and follow the Ball Blue Book recipe minus the food mill part? I'm not sure if cooking it with the peels is necessary somehow.

Also - has anyone ever tried the caramel apple butter from the BBB? It looks so yummy!!
post #605 of 688
10/13/08 at 2:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by *violet* View Post
I have a question that I can't seem to find the answer to. I have almost 2 bushels of apples that we'll be making lots of applesauce from. I'd like to do apple butter for Christmas gifts, too but I don't have a food mill. Can I just peel/core/quarter the apples and follow the Ball Blue Book recipe minus the food mill part? I'm not sure if cooking it with the peels is necessary somehow.

Also - has anyone ever tried the caramel apple butter from the BBB? It looks so yummy!!
I make caramel apple butter. It is the best stuff ever. Don't know if my recipe is the same as the BBB recipe.

I don't have a food mill (yet). I leave peels on and puree the apple butter with a hand mixer or blender before reheating and adding caramels. I think a food mill would yield a smoother product, but find my system ok.
post #606 of 688
10/13/08 at 2:57pm
Ah! A hand mixer! What a good idea. I have a KitchenAid mixer. I think I'll just use that once the apples are cooked.
post #607 of 688
10/13/08 at 4:16pm
Oh would one of you be so kind to share your caramel apple butter? I know I could find one on the internet but I'd love to have one that is tried and true.


Oh and what kind of things do you do with it?
post #608 of 688
10/13/08 at 4:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blooming View Post
Oh would one of you be so kind to share your caramel apple butter? I know I could find one on the internet but I'd love to have one that is tried and true.


Oh and what kind of things do you do with it?
The BBB recipe, which you can google, uses carmelized sugar, mine uses store-bought caramels:

Caramel Apple Butter

Ingredients:

apples (bruised/windfall ok)
apple juice, cider or water
caramels (I use the kind that are little cubes individually wrapped in plastic. I have used my fave caramel sauce recipe in the past, but when I can the sauce I prefer to use store-bought caramels.)

This is a great way to use up a lot of apples off a tree. Bruised apples are ok. Makes a great gift.

1) Get a roasting pan (like a turkey roaster) full of apples.

2) Wash and core the apples and put them back in the pan (you don't have to peel them)

3) Add a pint or two of apple juice, cider, or water, depending on the size of the pan. You want enough liquid so the apples won't burn, but you don't want so much that it will be soupy and take a long time to cook down. When in doubt, add more.

4) Bake apples uncovered in a low oven (300 degrees works for me) for a few hours. Check occasionally. When apples are brown and mushy, they are done.

5) Run apples through a food mill or use a hand mixer to puree them and return to pan

6) add 1-2 caramels per apple, unwrapped, of course. How many depends on how sweet your apples are. I added 4 cups to the biggest roasting pan that will fit in my oven full of apples, and the result is almost too sweet and rich. I will cut it down next year.

7) Return pan to oven and heat till bubbling. Stir melted caramels and apples thoroughly to combine. The consistency should be stiffer than pureed applesauce and the color should be dark brown. It should be thick enough to spread on toast. If it is too soupy leave it in oven until it has cooked down enough.

8) pour into pint jars and freeze or process in boiling water bath. I do at least 30 min.

I use apple butter in baking, on oatmeal, pancakes, as a sandwich spread, anywhere I'd use jam or fruit sauce.
post #609 of 688
10/13/08 at 4:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mamadelbosque View Post
I may be crazy here, but I'm hoping to get a bunch of wild apples for FREE - just a little work involved. We got loads and made them into apple cider, but now I want to go pick for Apple Sauce/Apple Butter. I plan on just quartering them and then running them through my foodmill. I did that even with some that I know have been sprayed - I just washed'm real good before hand. We eat them whole though too from the same place (good, tasty, local. Just not organic!), so I guess I'm just not that worried.

Really though, if you live in a rural-ish area, I highly, highly, recommend driving around and asking folks if you can pick their apples. Lots of folks don't use'm for anything and are more than happy to let you have'm! They're just happy they're getting USED for soemthing and not just rotting on the trees!!
Yep, I've been doing just this for the past three weeks. A co-work of mine has three apple trees on her property. She let the family come out and pick. We got about 5 bushels of apples for nothing! They are a bit wormy, so I have to cut them up carefully to get out the bad parts. But so far I've canned 16 pints of apple butter, 4 quarts of pie filling, and 3 quarts of apple sauce. I still have another bushel to go...the rest is slated for apple sauce and maybe another couple quarts of pie filling. YUM!
post #610 of 688
10/13/08 at 4:59pm
Thank you so much Aubergine68! It sounds yummy. Now I'll have to find some more apples.
post #611 of 688
10/14/08 at 10:21am
Thanks for the caramel apple butter recipe - My BF just told me she loves that type of apple butter.

I have one of those cheaper apple peelers. My has been holding up pretty well so far (I've done a few hundred apples in the last few weeks. BUT, there is a small bit of metal 'shavings' coming off of the turner part - it's a gray dust that settles under the turner.. So, I think I will upgrade after this season.
post #612 of 688
10/14/08 at 10:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by HydeParkB View Post
I have one of those cheaper apple peelers. My has been holding up pretty well so far (I've done a few hundred apples in the last few weeks. BUT, there is a small bit of metal 'shavings' coming off of the turner part - it's a gray dust that settles under the turner.. So, I think I will upgrade after this season.
I found an older Pampered Chef peeler thing at a yard sale and it has held up great over the last 3 years. My dad has a small commercial apple orchard and I do a ton of apples each year.

Thanks for all the comments on the caramel apple butter, we tried some and I love it. Its going in all the family Christmas baskets this year!

I'm down to my last tomatoes of the year. Does anyone have a good canning tomato soup recipe they would like to share?
post #613 of 688
10/14/08 at 10:17pm
Ok, I'd just like to say, I'm totally thrilled with making apple sauce! SOO easy, and SOO rewarding! I haven't been adding sugar to it cause' I think its fantastic just as it is plain!! And DS loves it !! I did one bag (that we picked, so FREE!) today, and got 6.5 quarts And I have lots more bags I can do (another 4? plus probably at least that many still on the trees if we go back Plus a couple more places I need to ask about I'm gonna have a LOT of apple sauce/apple butter!! Hurray!!), so... yeah It looks like the rest of my jam/jelly/preserve making is getting put on hold again
post #614 of 688
10/15/08 at 12:50am
I am not keeping up with the apples I've got in the basement. They are not keeping and I need to get them preserved in some way. So far I've done applesauce, apple butter, brandied apple rings, pie filling and cinnamon apple wedges. I think I'll probably do some apples in syrup and more applesauce. And if I can get to it, a few batches of dehydrated apples, since dd loves dried fruits and vegetables.
post #615 of 688
10/15/08 at 8:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by HydeParkB View Post
I am not keeping up with the apples I've got in the basement. They are not keeping and I need to get them preserved in some way. So far I've done applesauce, apple butter, brandied apple rings, pie filling and cinnamon apple wedges. I think I'll probably do some apples in syrup and more applesauce. And if I can get to it, a few batches of dehydrated apples, since dd loves dried fruits and vegetables.
Wow! You are the apple queen!
post #616 of 688
10/16/08 at 11:05am
I know that this is going surprise y'all. I made more applesauce. 3 quarts. I always think I'm going to have about double of what I wind up with.

There are more apples, green beans, and tomatoes (red and green) to take care of. I'm thinking dilly beans.

Also, I've got some juice from previous apple recipes. I'm thinking I'll make jelly, as we have plenty of jelly jars, but are getting lower on everything else.
post #617 of 688
10/16/08 at 10:55pm
Heh, my DH is now convinced that we have 'enough apples!' - but, I'm not so sure I just did another 13.5 pints of apple butter today, so now I have 17.5 pints of apple butter, 14 quarts of apple sauce and 28~ gallons of apple cider. I think I'd like to have double the amount of apple suace, idealy, and maybe another half dozen or so pints of apple butter. But, then I'd be done. I think. Probably. But... we may end up buying the rest of my apples for appel sauce. Way easier than picking... and I'm running out of places to go ask about pick'n apples... so... yeah Anyone know aproximatly how many quarts of apple sauce you get from, oh, say a bushel of apples??
post #618 of 688
10/17/08 at 10:19am
I made the caramel apple sauce, it is wonderful, I'm starting to wonder if any of it is going to make it into the jars.
post #619 of 688
10/17/08 at 10:37am
How do you do caramel apple sauce?
post #620 of 688
10/18/08 at 11:48am
SOOOOO excited.

I bought one of those apple peeler/slicer/corers yesterday. Along with a bushel of orgnaic apples for $34. that thing is revolutionizing my life. As I type, DD (27mos) is peeling them...all I have to do is toss the apple on the prongs. She loves it. And I got dishes done and bedroom cleaned in the meantime.

Lots of applesauce to make today. Then some apple butter. And more carrot cake jam (got more pears and carrots in the csa)
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