Food Storage Recipes: Homemade Applesauce for Canning

If you are lucky enough to have an apple tree (or have a generous family member or friend willing to donate apples), then making your own applesauce can be a big money-saver. In the past I have been able to pick apples from my cousin's tree for free. But when she moved, I still purchased apples to turn into applesauce because the finished product is so much tastier than store-bought products.

Here is a quick and easy tutorial on how to make and can your own applesauce.

Tools Needed
- Large cooking pot
- Handheld mixer (optional)
- Apple peeler (optional)
- Water bath canner and accessories
- 7 quart jars, rings, and new lids
- 20 pounds of apples
- 2 cups sugar

Step 1: Get your pot ready
I used my biggest pot and put a little water in the bottom to keep the apples from sticking. As I peeled the apples I just started throwing them in to start cooking.

Step 2: Peel a TON of apples
I used my handy dandy apple corer/peeler which the kids thought was WAY fun to help with. If you don't have one of these peelers, you can peel them the boring way with a potato peeler. Slice them into relatively small slices to reduce cooking time.

Step 3: Cook up those apples
By the time we were done peeling all the apples the first ones were really well cooked. I just let the whole thing cook for about 10 more minutes to make sure they were all soft.

Step 4: Prepare your canner and jars
While the apples were cooking I ran my bottles in the dishwasher to sterilize them. I also filled up my canner and started to boil the water. Lastly, I started some small pots of water boiling to sterilize my lids.

Step 5: Make the applesauce!
Once the apples were all soft, I used my hand-me-down baymix hand blender to blend the applesauce to a nice consistency. You could also use a food processor or even a blender to do the pureeing. But the baymix was SO easy because I could do it straight in the pot it was cooking in. At this point you can add any seasonings you want. I added 2 cups of sugar and it turned out really sweet and delicious. If you use a sweeter variety of apples you can even use NO sugar for a healthier applesauce. Some people like to add cinnamon or other things but I prefer to just add those when we eat it.

Step 6: Pour the applesauce into jars and seal 'em up
Use a funnel as this can get really messy. I ladled the applesauce in leaving about 1/2 an inch of space at the top of the jars. Then I used my tongs to pull out a lid for each jar. Try not to touch the lids with bare hands as you don't want them to get unsterilized. Screw the ring on tight once the lid is set on top of the jar.

Step 7: Put your jars into your canner and boil
As I filled each jar I would put it into the canner. As you put more jars in the water level rises, so you don't need to start with the canner all the way full. Once I had all 7 jars in I filled up to about an inch over the jars with hot water. You have to wait until the water is boiling before you start timing. Let it boil for 20 minutes and then remove the jars. Way easy huh?

Step 8: ENJOY! (my kids sure did)

Jicama Adds Crunch, Sweetness and Almost No Calories to Recipes

The food industry, like other American industries, has trends and jicama is one of them. Chefs are using this root vegetable in hot and cold dishes. Food magazines are publishing all sorts of jicama recipes and hundreds more are on the Internet. Why is jicama so popular?

Some food experts think its growing popularity is due to the growing Hispanic population. Another reason may be that chefs are always looking for something new. But health-conscious consumers may be force behind the trend. Jicama is high in fiber and water (it's 90% water) and low in calories. In fact, a cup of jicama contains only 45 calories, according to the USDA.

"Betty Crocker's Southwest Cooking" defines jicama as a root in the turnip family. Though jicama is related to "the sharp tasting turnip," the cook book says, it is "so mild in flavor that, when eaten raw, it is usually sprinkled with lemon or lime juice and chile powder." A few grocery stores carry peeled jicama, but this product is not available nation-wide.

I was in a San Francisco restaurant when I tasted jicama for the first time and it tasted like apple. My salad appetizer -- field greens, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and match-stick slices of jicama -- was dressed with a basic oil and vinegar dressing. The salad was simple, elegant, and unbelievably delicious.

Though it is often called the Mexican potato, jicama does not darken like a potato when peeled. Small jicama are sweeter than large ones. Choose a firm, un-bruised jicama and leave the wizened ones behind. Jicama is hard so be careful when you peel it. Slice it in half first and remove the skin with a vegetable peeler. You may cut the jicama by hand or in a food processor. Sweet and sour come together in my recipe for Jicama-Carrot Salad with Dried Cherries.

INGREDIENTS

1 small jicama

small head of Boston lettuce (also called butter lettuce)

1/2 cup shredded carrots (from bag)

2 scallions (white and green parts), diced with kitchen shears

1/3 cup dried cherries

DRESSING

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (country style)

2 tablespoons lemon juice (one lemon)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

1/8 teaspoon salt-free lemon and pepper seasoning

METHOD

Put salad dressing ingredients in a small jar, shake until combined and set aside. Peel jicama. Cut into match-stick slices or slice with a food processor. Tear lettuce into small pieces and place in a large bowl. Add carrots, scallions, dried cherries, and salad dressing. Toss gently. Makes 4 servings. Note: Lemon juice wilts lettuce quickly so make this salad just before you are going to eat it.

Copyright 2007 by Harriet Hodgson