Here we are! Tip-toeing into Autumn! We jumped the gun and took a trek out to Homestead Farm last weekend with the family (and larger ward family) to pick apples.
Homestead was great because of the variety of activities! Farm animals to see and pet, hay bales to play in and around, wagon rides and scare crows and apples and pumpkins and tomatoes. There was a little something for everyone!
Look at that red. He’s still got it!
The apples were the highlight. Milo loves apples. I do too. He picks them up off of the ground to eat. I do not. However, this particular one looked okay, and I took a bite when he offered it.
Oooh. Sweet and tangy and crisp and juicy and delicious. I had been dragging my feet a little bit with low energy (because of a long 11-mile run that morning, did you know I’m in training for a half-marathon?) but that bite was just what I needed to perk up a bit and stop telling Dave that maybe we should just go grab a peck from the farmhouse. Now, I was really ready to pick-my-own.
Milo and Dave helped me fill the my Del Sol Tote to the brim with gigantic apples. I chose the largest I could find, for easier peeling. As these apples were destined for greatness: as my first batch of homemade, bottled applesauce!
If you ever wondered what 18 pounds of apples looks like: that is it! Pretty anticlimactic, huh? I had a friend tell me she imagined bowls of apples all over my house with 18 lbs. Not so.
One goes to this guy to keep him busy as we peel, pot and wait.
An apple peeler/slicer/corer is a must for making large quantities of applesauce. I peeled about 30 apples in a half hour with this one I borrowed. I might need to invest.
The slices just get tossed into the crock pot with a cup or two of water and some lemon juice to help with the browning. Then, magically, five or six hours later those apples are cooked down so much that a gentle swirl with a whisk turns them into perfectly textured applesauce! I added about a tablespoon of cinnamon to one batch, and left the other naked. No sugar, no other stuff. Just sweet, hand-picked apples.
And then my pot came in very handy. I filled five jars. One went in the fridge for us to enjoy now. On the others, I screwed the gently boiled rubber tops, then submerged them in boiling water for 20 minutes. Removed from the bath and set aside, these babies wasted no time in “pinging,” letting me know that they were sealed and ready for storage. Canned like this, the apple sauce will last 2-3 years in the pantry. I’m pretty sure ours won’t make it that long! And I still have nine apples left over. Maybe for pie?
