The apple harvest is at hand.
It's been a good year for apples, and that has meant my afternoons are spent making and canning applesauce.
I'm made applesauce two different ways in the past. The first is to quarter the apples, simmer them till tender, then run them through the food mill. But then I learned how to make vinegar, and changed my prep method to save the peels and cores for making apple cider vinegar.
The peels and cores go into a glass gallon jar, covered (submerged) in water,
and allowed to ferment.
After a couple of weeks I'll strain off the new vinegar, jar it, and lid the jars to let it ferment a few weeks more. It will keep until we use it. The leftover peels and cores are fed to the goats.
The peeled and cored apples are simmered with a bit of water until soft.
|
| Apple chunks simmered to softness with a cinnamon stick. |
Once the apples are cooked, I can either puree them in the blender for smooth applesauce, or mash them with a potato masher for chunky applesauce.
The apple puree is scraped into another gallon jar. I work on this several hours every afternoon and when I have a gallon's
worth, I sweeten if needed and add water or juice for applesauce consistency.
Then I water bath can it in quart jars.
|
| 2026's first batch of canned applesauce. |
Elderberry harvest is in progress as well, and the first of the muscadines are beginning to ripen. Cheesemaking continues, although production is slacking off. Busy days ahead.
What's everybody else up to? Staying busy, or staying cool?
© Aug 2026 by Leigh at https://www.5acresandadream.com
