About 3 times a year I can apples. It's a great snack for my toddler and myself.
I pick up apples from Kroger's clearance section – 18 lbs for $15. They're usually still in very good shape although you have to look to see what apples they've included. They're usually all honeycrisp, pink lady, cosmo, jazz, etc. but sometimes a gala sneaks in there. Out of the whole lot I only discarded two.
This was the first time I did all of my prep the day before as well – made the ascorbic acid and sugar solutions, washed jars and apples, laid everything out. It definitely helped the process. I'm only about a year into canning so I'm still figuring out how to make it less chaotic.
Ended up with 2 quarts, 14 pints, and 1 3/4 pint (panicked because I somehow used ALL of my pint jars!)
Recipe from USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning
Side note – are we all going to have arthritis from peeling apples? Because omg I always forget how badly my hands hurt after that.
by Snbridenbaugh
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Love to see this!!
We do Applpocalypse once a year as soon as my mom’s apple trees start to produce. The good news is that they are “free”. The bad news is that it’s a lot of work all at once!
Here’s a few things I do to help…
Get a good corer tool. I’m not usually one for “uni taskers” but I make an exception here. Mine is from OXO and it’s a great time saver.
I cover my counter in cheap paper (like the brown stuffing paper from Amazon packages or newspaper or whatever) and do all my peeling on that. Then the whole thing can get bundled right into the compost as the end of the night.
Peelers are cheap. I get a new one every season. No sense fighting a dull blade.
They look great! As for the arthritis – I have one of those hand-crank peeler/corer/slicer things and it isn’t perfect, but it helps A LOT.
I love canned apples!! Applesauce was the only thing my mom canned when I was growing up so they have such a nostalgic texture and flavor for me. I never remember what types I like best for canning so sometimes it’s a surprise what they will come out like, but it’s kind of enjoyable to have a few different flavors and textures in the jar.
I like to can them in apple juice or very light syrup with a splash of lemon juice. Adding a little extra acid helps boost the flavor of any canned fruit.
I don’t can apple slices but I do can apple pie filling which has similar prep. I peel the apples with a paring knife, it usually comes off in a single or double strip, then halve and core with knife as well…drop into ascorbic acid solution until I’m done all the peeling/coring and then it gets sliced into wedges. A sharp knife helps a lot. Applesauce is easier since the cooked pulp can be run through a food mill (I use a chinois strainer) to remove all the seeds, peel and core.
I have not actually done it yet, but I bought some Clear-Gel to can apple pie filling.
I plan on pressure canning.
I like to use Granny Smith’s with some McIntosh or Macoun that I cook separately in a saucepan and puree before mix the spices in and adding to the Grannies.
Hint for great flaky pie crust: use frozen lard in your food processor
Question for everyone – could I do these, but can them in 100% apple juice instead of syrup, and add a pinch of cinnamon? I think it would be ok, in theory?