Puttin' Up Apples: Sauce & Tart Filling

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Last month I shared an outstanding recipe and method for homemade applesauce: Slow Cooker Caramel Apple Sauce. This image is the completed sauce after preserving by canning in a boiling water bath, following current canning guidelines as described in Ball Blue Book of Canning. I used 12-ounce jars for the applesauce. One jar added to a spice cake mix makes terrific applesauce cookies! No other ingredients needed, just drop the thick batter on a parchment lined sheet and bake at 350F for 12-14 minutes until done. Delicious!

Apple Tart Filling

Using the same honey crisp apples I made Apple Tart Filling (top left) and bottled it in pint jars. The apple tart filling is an easy recipe:

8 cups peeled diced apple tossed with a small amount of lemon juice
3 cups sugar (granulated, brown, or combo of the two)
1/3 cup corn syrup
1 teaspoon each cinnamon, allspice and cloves

Simmer all ingredients over medium heat until apples are just tender. Process in boiling water bath. Label and enjoy. This recipe leaves lots of room for personal taste. You can add more or less sugar, more or less spice to suit your taste.

Hint: When working with apples for canning it is important to acidulate them to prevent browning from oxidation. Toss cut and diced apple with lemon juice or a fruit preservative to maintain the appetizing fleshy colored fruit.

One way my family enjoys the Apple Tart Filling is for breakfast. Take one tube of refrigerator crescent rolls, separate each roll, add a dollop of apple filling to each roll, fold the corners over like a little praying angel, bake according to directions on rolls. Make a thin glaze with some of the juice off the tart filling and little bit of powdered sugar, drizzle over hot tarts. Serve warm with coffee, hot cider or hot cocoa. Yummy. Nicely packaged portion controlled treats the whole family will enjoy. I'm looking forward to enjoying these apple preserves all winter long!

I made the tags from craft paper and cardstock using cut files from the Silhouette Online Store. The are tied to the jars with raffia, a homespun touch if I do say so! 

Slow Cooker Carmel Applesauce

Who says working girls don't have time for canning? This morning, before work, I peeled and chopped 8 pounds of apples to make a remarkably easy applesauce. The apples go in the slow cooker with brown sugar, corn syrup, a cinnamon stick, cloves, and allspice. Low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours, stir once or twice. The cooker will shut off but the sauce will stay warm and ready for boiling water processing when I am done with work! How easy is that?

I can remember my grandmother Rhoda standing over a kettle of apples all day stirring and cooking, stirring and cooking to make her traditional applesauce. I bet she'd be dancing on the peels if she found out about this modern day shortcut to a very good put-up applesauce. The brown sugar adds a hint of caramel flavor to the sauce which I prefer over granulated sugar which tastes a bit flat.

Added bonus, I'm working from home today so I'll get to enjoy the delectable autumnal aroma of baked apples and cinnamon!  Happy Friday Everyone!!!

Slow Cooker Caramel Applesauce

8 pounds tart apples, peeled and chopped (not to small of a chop)
1-2 lemons, juiced
1 1/2-cup golden brown sugar
1/2-cup corn syrup
1 4-inch cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon non-iodized salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Chop apples and place in crock of slow cooker. Toss with lemon juice as you go to acidulate the fruit to keep it from turning dark. Fill crock completely, the apples will shrink. Top with brown sugar, corn syrup, cinnamon stick, salt, cloves, and allspice. Cover and set on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Stir occasionally, but not too often. Maybe once or twice during cooking. Process in a boiling water bath following current recommendations from  Ball Blue Book 1997 by Alltrista Corporation.

Puttin' Up: Garlic

August and September means canning season in my kitchen. Both of my grandmothers were avid canners by necessity more than craft. When they canned it was a massive production with lots of relatives, tons of jars, boxes of produce, and a kitchen full of hot steam and busy women puttin' up for the winter. There were bragging rights for who put up the most tomatoes or peaches. And there were taste tests at the country fair for the chance to win the coveted blue ribbon for best raspberry preserves.

 

Times have changed and now most home canners put up goods in small batches. There is a focus toward specialty condiments and pretty packaging.  There are fewer food cellars boasting shelves lined with canned beans. In the larder of today's home canning enthusiasts we find small jars holding exotic pickles, unusual condiments, and mixed jellies that  my grandmothers would consider gourmet and superficial.

Still, the art and craft of preserving food plays an important part in my role as a nurturer.

Two of my specialties are garlic condiments: Pickled Garlic and Garlic Jelly. The pickled garlic compliments my famous Dilly Beans and is great for vegetable and pickle trays. Like the beans, it benefits from a good three to four month curing before enjoying. The garlic jelly is gastronomic delight with many uses. For soups and stews just a small amount lends a sweet garlic flavor to the mix. It works well in stir fry dishes and a little dab on a freshly grilled steak melts into the meat to enhance the flavor without a dominating garlic taste. I shared this recipe in my book Day 6: Beyond the 5 Day Pouch Test.  And with permission from my publisher I share it with you here:

Garlic Jelly

This may sound strange at first but when used in small amounts to moisten and season lean protein this jelly packs a powerful flavor punch. The slightly sweet garlicky condiment is good whisked into soups, gravies and sauces. One batch makes three half pints which store well refrigerated. Don't be afraid of the sugar in this recipe because it is enjoyed in such small quantities with protein that your blood sugar will not be adversely affected. In addition, enjoying a slightly sweet flavor with lean protein tends to increase the length of time we experience satiation.

Ingredients:
3 cups white wine vinegar
1/2 cup garlic, peeled and chopped
6 cups sugar
2 cups water
6 ounces liquid pectin

In a 2 1/2 quart saucepan, simmer the vinegar and garlic for about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and cool slightly. Pour the liquid into a clean 1-quart glass jar. Cover the jar and let stand at room temperature for 24 - 48 hours. Strain the vinegar and garlic through a wire strainer into a 6-quart kettle. Discard garlic. Measure 2 cups of liquid. Add more uncooked white wine vinegar, if necessary, to equal two cups. Add the sugar and water to the vinegar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat. Stir in the liquid pectin and return the mixture to a boil for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Skim off any foam with a metal spoon.

Pour the jelly into hot, clean jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Cap and seal.  Process in a boiling-water-bath canner for 10 minutes.

Dilly Beans:Tagged for Holiday Giving

This year I used fun cuts made on the Silhouette Cameo Electronic Cutting Machine to make tags and date circles for the Dilly Beans. I think they are fun for our home, but also make ready a simple holiday gift for those last minute opportunities to show someone you cherish and appreciate them.

Putting Up: Dilly Beans

I've been making Dilly Beans for at least a dozen years, give or take a missed season here and there. Last year my beans went bad while we attended a family issue. It was sad to see my dilly bean shelf empty all winter. Dilly beans are the perfect addition to a veggie tray that includes pickles and olives. And when the guys get together for a poker game my Dilly's are on the top of the request list.

The local farm stand is open here on Wednesdays. I arrived there early and the green beans were at the peak of the season. So Dilly Beans it was. I've been using the recipe from Ball Blue Book all these years (see original recipe below) and made a few tweaks to suit our taste. More garlic. Red pepper flakes in place of the cayenne. A pinch of celery seed. And just for prettiness sake I add a few matchsticks of carrot or bell pepper. Why bother with canning if it doesn't look lovely on the shelf?

Dilly Beans benefit from a three to four month curing period, stored properly out of sunlight in a cool room.

The following is the original recipe from Ball Blue Book. Be sure to following strict canning and processing procedures to ensure the safety and goodness of your put-up produce.

Original Dilly Bean Recipe

Original recipe (C) Ball Blue Book 1997 by Alltrista Corporation.

Ingredients:
2 pounds green beans
1/4 cup canning salt
2-1/2 cups white vinegar
2-1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, divided
4 cloves garlic, divided
4 heads dill, divided

Directions:
Trim ends off green beans. Combine salt, vinegar, and water in a 2-quart sauce pan. Bring to boil. Pack beans lengthwise into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Add 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 clove garlic, and 1 head dill to each pint. (For quarts add 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 2 cloves garlic, and 2 heads dill to each jar with the green beans.) Ladle hot liquid over beans, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps. Process pints and quarts 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.

Yield: about 4 pints or 2 quarts

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