applesauce

a few weeks back me and my mom made applesauce.

first we went to the orchard and got apples.


i overslept so we got a late start, which meant by the time we got there tons and tons of people and their kids were there. it was ridiculously crowded and loud. we suggested to each other that perhaps next year we'd see if we could come during the week instead of on the weekend. mom suggested that next time we should bring our reusable tote bags because the plastic bag handles and the paper bag handles really cut into our hands during the long trek back out to the car.

we got 1 peck of paula reds that we used in the applesauce. we got honeycrisp and ginger gold to eat, knowing we liked them both. and we tried some wealthy apples, but they're pretty tart and kinda mealy. there were no paula reds in the 'seconds' display, and there were no sweet 16s out yet, we were only a day early for those according to their chart. and despite their website saying they had sweet tango apples, they did not.

the paula reds


the apples sit in a bowl of water and lemon juice to prevent browning after being run thru the apple peeler/corer/slicer thing while they wait their turn to be cut up further.


cut up and starting to cook


peels and cores for my compost bin


the apples cooking down under medium to medium low heat (stir frequently!)


my moms new toy she got for xmas last year. a heavy duty stick blender thing where the blade part detaches for easy cleaning.


sharp! do not touch!


it was fun to use and made quick work of the soft apples. much much quicker and less painful than mashing by hand with a potato masher.


did i mention it was fun to use?


filler up! the funnel comes in extremely handy.


putting the lids on


put the jars in the canner basket


and lower the basket into the water


figured out that putting a cookie sheet in between layers of towels helps protect the table from the heat better than juts the towels alone


ta da!


1 peck of paula reds made 7 pts of applesauce. the sauce is gorgeous, light colored, and delicious. the stick blender worked awesome and we'll never go back to the potato masher.