I decided I was going to try my hand at this whole canning thing, since last year it didn't go so well. I don't think I processed the kumquats long enough and refused to eat them, and the apple butter I made last year (what little G didn't immediately eat) we simply kept in the fridge. I was armed with the book "Put Em Up" and I was ready to rock this thing.
Because, you see, we try really hard to eat seasonally. So that means that I only eat apples this time of year. And I love apples. By canning apple sauce, apple butter, and apple preserves and also making plenty of dried apples, we can enjoy them throughout the year. I'm still trying to figure out how to successfully freeze an apple pie, and then life will be perfect!
I've never heard of washing apples with water and baking soda? How does it work? Is it to get all the chemicals off the skin?
ReplyDeleteI love apple butter! Too bad it doesn't exist over here :(
Crystal, the baking soda helps get the outside crud off. Works great with waxed apples from the store, but I use it to really scour the ones we picked. If I'm being even more ocd, I'll get them wet, scrub them with baking soda and then spray them with my bottle of vinegar---essentially making a homemade fruit wash.
ReplyDeleteAnd if you'd like to know how to make apple butter, you can make a jar at a time to keep in the refrigerator!
Man that is a lot of apples.
ReplyDeleteI know this is a really old post so you probably won't read the comments, but just in case - I've had pretty good luck with freezing apple pie filling, to use later in the year - what I tend to do is use half the amount of sweetener that I usually would. Thaw the filling very well - it'll be a bit watery. Then gently heat it and add the rest of the sweetener, as if your 'finishing off' cooking it... I find it maintains a much better consistency and flavor than attempting to freeze it straight :)
ReplyDeleteJust my thoughts!
Best wishes