Food Preservation



 

Apple Butter

• 5 pounds tart apples of your choice (Gala, Fuji or Arkansas Black are good choices; Granny Smith would also work, though they’re more tart.)
• 3 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp water
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves

Cut the apples in quarters. Don’t peel or core them; a lot of natural pectin, the material that thickens jams and jellies, resides there, and you want it. Pile them into the Instant Pot and add two cups of sugar.  Add the vinegar and water.

Cook the apples on “steam” for 20 minutes, with a natural steam release.This will be enough to completely cook the apples to the point they’re soft, brown, and start to disintegrate.

Using a food mill with its medium plate, or a chinois, or in a pinch a colander, press the pulp into a Dutch oven. Add the remaining sugar and spices; simmer for an hour or more over very low heat, until the apple puree thickens and darkens more.

Process 15 minutes in a water-bath canner, or freeze in pint containers. Keeps 2-3 weeks, opened, in the fridge.

This is a good, basic apple butter. It’s flavorful, but the apple flavor still comes through amid the spices, which are prominent.

• 8 cups peeled and chopped peaches (about 7 large peaches)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 vanilla bean
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 Tbsp Bourbon (optional)

1. Put the peaches, lemon juice and 2 cups sugar in a heavy bottomed pot.
2. Slice vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Use the flat side of a knife scrape out the seeds and place in the pot along with the empty pod halves.  
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer.  If using, add the Bourbon. I’ve made it both ways and it is delicious with or without.  The Bourbon serves to enhance the flavor of the vanilla, much like adding coffee or espresso to chocolate recipes. Simmer for about 1 1/2 hours.  Stirring occasionally. The peaches will turn a golden, caramelized orange color. 
4. Allow to cool slightly and ladle into jelly jars (discarding bean pods). When cooled completely store in the refrigerator. It will continue thickening as it cools.       OR at this point you can can.

This is the first year we have gotten a good amount of apples from the trees we planted. I have no actual recipe for this years applesauce. I peeled and chopped up lots of apples. When I had about 6 cups of chopped apples I put them in my supersized pot and barely covered them with water. Brought to a boil, then turned down to a low simmer. I continued to peel, chop and add apples to the pot throughout the day. Adding water as needed. I wanted some of the apples to be more cooked than others. Some apples cook down to a sauce while some remain in chunks. I sprinkled in cinnamon and Truvia to taste throughout the cooking process. It still tasted bland to me so I poured in some Montmorency Tart Cherry concentrate. YUM!!

Packed applesauce into clean, hot canning jars leaving 1/2 inch space from the top of the jar. Closed the jars with sterile lids and rims and processed pints in a boiling water bath for 25 minutes.

I placed 14 pints of really tasty Apple Cherry Sauce on a dish towel to cool.

Lets Make Apple Pie Filling With Stevia!

Ingredients:

2 - cups Stevia
1 - cup quick-cooking tapioca
2 - teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 - teaspoon nutmeg
1 - teaspoon salt
10 - cups of water
6 pounds of tart apples   (20-24 apples)


Directions:

In a large pot, blend together sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Whisk in the 10 cups of water. Cook and stir over medium-high head until bubbly and thick. Cook an additional 2 minutes.

Peal and slice the apples and add them into a solution of 3 tablespoons of lemon juice to 1 quart of water to avoid discoloration. Drain the fruit as packing into jars.

Pack apples into clean, hot canning jars leaving an inch from the top of the jar. Fill with the hot syrup, leaving 1/2 inch space from the top of the jar.

Remove air bubbles by running a knife around the insides of each jar. Close the jars with sterile lids and rims. Process pints in a boiling water bath for 25 minutes.

Place the jars on a dish towel to cool. Make certain the lids are sealed properly.
Jars that don't seal need to be refrigerated and used soon. 
I got 9 pint jars.  About 120 calories per cup or 240 per pint.

 

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