canning winter foods in advance..

[Brent S]

This is how I do mine. . .


Apple Sauce

4 lbs apples, unpeeled and uncored, sliced thin (these are a natural pectin)
1 cup water
¼ cup lemon juice (optional)
½ cup honey
Ground cinnamon, to taste
Ground nutmeg, to taste
Ground cloves, to taste

Cut apples into fourths (more if big) and add to a big stainless steel or enamel pot. Cook the apples with water, lemon juice, honey, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain in a colander. Put through a food mill (or Sauce Master). Adjust seasonings if needed. Bring to boil, pour into prepared jars leaving ½ inch headspace. Seal and process for 20 minutes in boiling water bath.



Apple Butter

3 cups apple cider
5 lbs apples, unpeeled and uncored, sliced thin (these are a natural pectin)
Honey, to taste
Ground cinnamon, to taste
Ground allspice, to taste
Ground cloves, to taste

Put cider in a big stainless steel or enamel pot and bring to a boil. Add apples slowly. Allow apples and cider to come to a boil, then simmer, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.

When apple butter has begun to thicken considerably, the apple slices will start to fall apart as you stir. At some point after the butter has thickened, remove it from the heat and put everything thru a food mill (or sauce master in my case), discarding the peels, seed and steams. Put the ‘good stuff’ back into the pot and back on the heat and simmer till the apple butter is a thick dark-brown mixture. This will take about 4-5 hours. If you want it sweetened, use the honey to taste along with the other spices. Bring to a boil and put in prepared jars leaving ½ in headspace. Seal and process 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Thanks! I haven't tried the honey yet. I guess the first apple pie is going in the oven tonight! I'll try canning some apple sauce tonight as well. I'll be processing apples for a week yet. You mentioned you have pears. I bought five pear trees, that said they were fruit producing. Well, they are five plus years old now, and only produce a tiny little berry. I think they are a decorative tree only. Beware the plants in the big box stores. They don't know what they have. My raspberries turned out to be blackberries, which is ok but not what I purchased.

 

[Arcticdude]

Wow, 40's, I'd love for it to cool off here some. Sorry about the short growing season though. I'm a big believer in greenhouses though. It truly produces so much more than the outside gardens. Here it is just an improvement, for you it sounds like a necessity.

There are pros and cons to living in the mountains and a short growing season is one of the cons. I like the fact that we're always 10-15 degrees cooler than the valley during summer and Fall comes early, but there are many things that we cant grow here without a green house. There's a little 80 acre place about 12 miles down the road towards the valley that I've been thinking about buying. Its part irrigated from the creek that flows through the property and has great soil for a garden and orchard and a pond for fish. If I could just get the kids to move there...

 

[jimLE]

i came across a beans n franks recipe,that i figure on trying.in which i already have all the ingredients for it..only change i made.is i doubled it..

beans n franks

8 beef frankfurters
4 tablespoons barbeque sauce
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 (16 ounce) cans baked beans with pork

In a saucepan filled with water, boil the frankfurters for about 5 minutes.
In another saucepan, combine barbeque sauce, dry mustard and baked beans. Stir and heat.
When the frankfurters are cooked,slice 1/2 inche thick peices,and combine them with the sauce mixture for about 10 to 15 minutes or until heated through.