Applesauce

Our wonderful neighbors have surely blessed us with the invitation to any fruit from their apple and pear trees. So we filled several bushels!

Applesauce

13 pounds apples (used Granny Smith)
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
5 cups water

Hot water canner

Large sauce pan or soup pot

Ladle

Funnel
Jar Lifter

Jars, lids, rims

Peeler and Knife / Apple Peeler Corer / Food Mill

Wash apples.

Peel and core apples if you don't have a food mill. You can use an apple peeler corer to make quick work.

Place apples in a very large pot with the water. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
Cook on high for 10 minutes. Then reduce heat to medium for 35 minutes. Stirring often. If there are any remaining large pieces of apples remaining, you can use a potato masher to crush them.

Food mill directions: Cut apple into quarters. No need to remove peels or seeds. Yippie!!

Place apples in a very large pot with the water. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
Cook on high for 10 minutes. Then reduce heat to medium for 35 minutes. Stirring often.
Run apples through a food mill with the apple screen in place. And out comes applesauce.

If you are new to Boiling-Water Bath Canning, I recommend reading my tutorial on this type of canning.

Get your jars ready. Jars should be clean, can run through the dishwasher or wash in hot soapy water. Place funnel on top of the jar and fill with hot applesauce, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Wipe rims of jars clean with warm wash cloth. Place hot lids on jars and tighten with rims.

Process in a boiling-water canner for 10 minutes. Remove jars with jar remover carefully. Place hot jars on level surface. I cover my counter top with a double layered kitchen towel and place jars on top. Using a hot pad or glove, check that the rims are tightened.

As the jars cool, you will hear a "ping" when the lid seals. Make sure all of your jars have sealed. They are sealed if the button in the middle of the lid in depressed. If you have any jars that have not sealed, you can reprocess them or store the jar in the refrigerator for use.

Makes 10-11 pints.

Please check with your local extension office for any changes due to altitude for times or temperatures. 

Above instructions are for elevation 1000 feet or below.

Quick Homemade Applesauce

Nothing says fall like the smell of freshly cooked apples. This recipe is so easy that you can make it quickly to be a side with dinner tonight.

Quick Homemade Applesauce:
4 apples (used Granny Smith variety)
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
1/4 c water

Wash your apples. Peel and core apples. Cut apples into small pieces, about 8 pieces per apple. Or you can use an apple corer for quick work. We have a Norpro apple peeler / corer, that works great.

Place apples into a large microwavable bowl. Add sugar, cinnamon and water. Stir apple mixture.
Microwave covered for 5 minutes on high. Stir and microwave covered another 5 minutes.
Stir applesauce one more time. No need to mash as the apples should not be chunky.

Makes about 6 servings.

I think this applesauce tastes like warm apple pie filling. Who wouldn't love dessert as a side dish with dinner?

Coming up will be my recipe for canning Applesauce. Yum!

Mulberry - Rhubarb Jam

God has surely blessed us. Both the rhubarb and the mulberries were growing at our property when we moved. I love this jam even more for what we were provided with. And... It is delicious too!

Mulberry - Rhubarb Jam:

Hot water canner

Large sauce pan or soup pot

Ladle

Funnel
Jar Lifter

Jars, lids, rims

Liquid pectin version:
5 cups mulberries
3 cups chopped rhubarb
1/2 cup water
12 cups sugar (yes, you read right!)
2 pouches liquid pectin

Combine mulberries and rhubarb in large sauce pot. Smash the mulberries and rhubarb, we use a potato smasher for this.
Add water and sugar.
Bring to a full rolling boil.
Add liquid pectin and stirring constantly bring back to a full boil. Boil for 1 minute.
Remove from heat and fill jars leaving 1/4 inch head space.

Wipe rims of jars clean with warm wash cloth. Place lids on jars and tighten with rims.

If you are new to Boiling-Water Bath Canning, I recommend reading my tutorial on this type of canning.

Process in a boiling-water canner for 10 minutes. Remove jars with jar remover carefully. Place hot jars on level surface. I cover my counter top with a double layered kitchen towel and place jars on top. Using a hot pad or glove, check that the rims are tightened.

As the jars cool, you will hear a "ping" when the lid seals. Make sure all of your jars have sealed. They are sealed if the button in the middle of the lid in depressed. If you have any jars that have not sealed, you can reprocess them or store the jar in the refrigerator for use.

Makes about 12 half pints.

Please check with your local extension office for any changes due to altitude for times or temperatures. Above instructions are for elevation 1000 feet or below.

Harvesting Mulberries

Much to our surprise we found not one but two mulberry trees on our property. We have lived in our house almost three years! These trees are over 30 feet tall which can make harvesting difficult. Here are out tips to get most mulberries off the tree and into your kitchen.

Make sure the mulberries are ready. Our trees are black mulberry trees, so the fruit is dark purple when ready to be harvested.

Get a old clean sheet, tarp, or plastic drop cloth. We used an old flat sheet. We tried the tarp method but thought the sheet was a softer landing for the berries. If you use cloth make sure you don't mind it getting stained. The mulberries will leave some dark purple stains on your sheet.

Spread out the sheet under the tree or bush.

Now this is the fun part! Shake the branches directly over the sheet. All the ripe berries just fall off and onto your sheet! We also used a 6 foot ladder to reach some of the higher branches.

Gather the corners of the sheet and slide all the berries into the middle. Then gently slide the pile of berries to the edge of the sheet and pour the berries into a large bowl.

Repeat the process going around the remainder of the tree or bush.

Be sure to sort and wash your berries. You will get some small twigs and leaves with this harvesting process.

Freezing Rhubarb

One of the most rewarding things about summer is enjoying what you have grown. Currently my rhubarb has been harvested but there is barely a strawberry in site to make Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam. So here is my tutorial on how to enjoy your rhubarb harvest throughout the year (when the strawberries are ready to be picked).

Here is what you will need:

rhubarb
knife
cutting board
plastic freezer bags

Remove the leaves from the stalks by pulling off or cutting. The leaves of rhubarb contain Oxalic Acid which is poisonous and should never be consumed. The leaves are safe to be placed in the compost bin.
Wash rhubarb stalks with your preferred method of cleaning fruits and vegetables.
Some varieties of rhubarb have a tough outer skin that should be peeled off at this point. This skin comes off easily.
Chop rhubarb into small (amount 1/2 inch) pieces.
Measure rhubarb out by the cup.

Place the desired amount of rhubarb into plastic bags. Try to remove as much of the air from the bag prior to freezing.

Label with name, amount of rhubarb and date.
Lay flat in freezer until frozen then can be stored standing up if needed.

Harvesting Rhubarb

Just like anything you grow in the garden, harvesting at the right time and the right way will go a long way. Rhubarb is not only easy to grow but extremely easy to harvest.

Rhubarb is a plant that provides you a great harvest without a lot of work. But you do need to be patient and here are some do's and dont's before eating this tangy plant.

Do not harvest your rhubarb the first year, give it time to establish a strong root system. The second year you can pick only a few stalks (stick to 2 larger stalks per plant.) But come the third year... it is harvest time!

The best time to harvest rhubarb is late spring all the way through summer.

To select a stalk for harvesting, look for one that is dark pink to maroon in color. The stalk should be 1/2 inch to 1 inch in diameter and firm.

To harvest rhubarb all you need is your hands. Hold the stalk as close to the ground as you can and gently twist the stalk until it is broken free. This twisting method of harvesting triggers the plant's roots to grow more. Never cut the stalk from the plant as you won't be encouraging future growth.

Continue to harvest the larger stalks until you have harvested only about 1/3 of the plant. Limiting your harvest will avoid shocking and stressing the plant.

Remove any flowering stalks from the plant. By doing this you re-focus the plants energy back to the root system.

Remove the leaves from the stalks by pulling off or cutting. The leaves of rhubarb contain Oxalic Acid which is poisonous and should never be consumed by you or your animals. The leaves are safe to be placed in the compost bin.

Watch for some tips on preserving and tasty recipes coming in the near future!