Today is an applesauce day.
My goal is to make and can 14 quart. My stretch goal is 28 quarts.
It comes down to BTU/hours and how many hours can I stick with it. I started washing the first batch of apples at 8:45. It is now 11:45 and the first jars have been in the canning kettle for about 20 minutes and are not up to a boil, yet.
From the standpoint of conserving hot-water and clean-up, it makes sense to run the set-up as long as possible. Cleaning up after 28 quarts is no more work than cleaning up after 7.
That means that I won't be working on deer blinds or fixing mowers or verifying the optics on any equipment today.
28 quarts would get me a little over half-way to our goal of having 52 quarts in the pantry.
Update: The last load "Dinged" at 4:40. We netted 30 quarts which was two more than the stretch-target. I gave one to Quicksilver for helping with the project and we put the other orphan in our refrigerator.
Laborious but a pleasant aching. The ERJ kitchen must smell wonderful. A pleasing aroma, heated home, stocking the pantry. All in all well worth the doing.
ReplyDeleteTo keep to the schedule, I use a second pot as a resovoir of heated water.
My memories of my mother canning is that it always happened on the hottest days. You are following a proud tradition.
ReplyDeleteMy family gets unhappy when I talk about making applesauce with apples. We have an apple peeler/corer and a dehydrator, they much prefer dried apples to applesauce. I have had to promise that we will do both.
ReplyDeleteCanned applesauce lasts longer and takes less time to prepare per bushel. Dehydrating apples takes 8-12 hours per batch. Dried apples are easier to sell and ship, but the family gets mad at me when I say that.
Unless you really eat a lot of apple sauce, then maybe try making chutney.
ReplyDeleteI made a batch of this one and everyone I that gave a jar has raved about it. It is excellent with cheese and cold meats/sandwiches. It is best matured for at least 6 months, up to a year, but it doesn't last that long. >};o)
https://tinandthyme.uk/2017/10/spiced-apple-chutney
Phil B
My wife makes lots of applesauce but she doesn't peel the apples because the skins make a nice color, add more flavor and a lot more nutrients. I do the dehydrating also with skins still on. We have a lot of trees so our apples do not get sprayed with anything so we are safe doing it that way. ---ken
ReplyDeletePeople who like making apple sauce and chutney can avoid a lot of chopping work by using the variety Stirling Castle. It obligingly "melts" when you cook it.
ReplyDelete