Alycia's parents stopped by yesterday and (at my request) brought three large sacks of apples from folks up in Cavalier. The apples were a little pricey at 3lbs for $1. Yes, you read that right, three pounds of apples for a dollar. And they were picked off the tree this morning. I'm trying to think of scenario that would beat that price and freshness, but I'm drawing a blank.
With a little help from the Ball Canning Jar website I got started with some applesauce. I remember fondly the applesauce my Grandma used to make. There was this closet in a guest bedroom filled with canned applesauce, starwberry jam, and other preserves, and we'd frequently drag a jar out for mealtime. The applesauce was so tasty I'd eat the whole jar and happily deal with the subsequent bout of intestinal distress from eating too many apples.
I'd like to think my canning experiment was pretty successful, I got 8 jars of very tasty applesauce (see picture above of the first four jars - yes it was still warm in the kitchen, but if you can't take the heat, then you should do something, not sure what). It only took a couple of hours, which hopefully can be winnowed down as my skill at peeling, chopping, and preparing the apples increases. The true test of my canning experiment will be in a week or so when I crack open the first batch and have a taste. If I'm dead from botulism and no longer post here, you'll know that my experiment was indeed, not successful. I honestly think the risk of botulism and other poisoning is pretty minimal if you do it right.
I have high hopes that since I followed every direction and safety precaution the family unit will be alive and able to tell tall tales of tasty applesauce. I'd also like to think that my previous years of food service experience at Hornblower Dining Yachts and De La Guerra Dining Commons at UCSB also somehow helped a bit, we shall see.
1 comment:
Leave at least two weeks at room temp to see signs of contamination-then you can be sure :)
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