Totally Apple-sauced

Samantha and I trekked over to Wenatchee for the day so Samantha could play with friends and so I could spend the day with a friend making applesauce...all day.  My friend, Sarah, got a really good price on some apples and it's so much more fun to make/can applesauce together, we just made a day of it.

It was a beautiful drive to Wenatchee!

We started with about 200 pounds of apples - yep, 200 pounds.  AND I still brought home another 20 pounds of apples that we didn't can. 

We had apples coming out our ears!

 

See what I mean?  Still ended up taking some apples home!

So, after lots of chopping and cooking and squishing and pouring - we came out with these beautiful jars of applesauce. 

Just a portion of our haul!

We then turned our attention to apple pie filling.  I had never canned apple pie filling before.  I've frozen apple pie filling, but canning is a little different.  It requires the use of this stuff called "Clear Gel" in order to get the right consistency and preserve it properly.  We set to work slicing the apples and immediately getting them in some treated water to keep them from browning.   At the same time, we were boiling water to cook the apple slices in preparation for the cinnamon-y goodness we would immerse them in to can them. 

Now to the Clear Gel - this stuff did not start out as our friend!!  We were advised to add it a little at a time and whisk the heck out of it to keep it smooth.  Well, my whisking needs some work but Sarah, a master, was whisking like crazy and...still lumpy!  Ugh!  So, we removed some of the bigger chunks and smoothed it out as much as we can (doesn't impact the taste - don't worry, we tested).  The next batch, hmm, let's try a gravy shaker and mix the water and Clear Gel together.  WRONG!  Clear Gel expands with liquid so two shakes in and we had a huge lump of gel in the shaker.  Ugh!!  Whisk, whisk, whisk - fix that batch.  Still tasted great.  On to the last batch - hmm, why don't we mix the clear gel with all of the other dry ingredients (sugar, cinnamon, etc.) in a big gallon-sized bag and then add that mixture slowly to the liquid (water, apple juice, etc.) while whisking.  VOILA!  We've attained perfection in our apple pie filling.  No lumps, great taste, and so pretty!

So pretty!  Yummy too, but so pretty!!

Our plan was to get this all done during the day and Samantha and I would leave around 7pm to get home by 9:30pm.  Yeah, Sarah and I didn't finish our canning adventures until 3am.  By that time, I was so tired and Samantha had been fast asleep for hours.  So I curled up for a bit as well.  Then it was up again at 6:30am to get home by 10am for a rehearsal at my house.  Well, I made it home in time, but was exhausted the entire next day.  In fact, I don't remember a lot of that day other that it was full of lots of Diet Dr. Pepper in an effort to keep me awake!

Thank you, Sarah!  Canning alone just isn't the same!  I'd trek over to Wenatchee to can with you any day! ;)