Location: When I dare to be powerful -- to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.
Posts: 9,525
My first cookalong... Strawberry Applesauce
Ok so let me start out by saying that if no one likes these I will stop... and I would LOVE to see some others add their own if people DO like them. I love learning new tricks when cooking and I really enjoy pictures. So here is the first in, hopefully, a long line of cookalongs where we share what we love to make inspiring each other to new and greater heights of culinary success! (Ok that was cheesy... how about just some really good food?)
Strawberry Applesauce
Ingredients: Apples... I have found that it entirely depends on how big the apples are, what the bag needs to weigh to fill the 8 quart pot. For me this was 11lbs worth of tiny apples that had fallen off my dads tree (first batch). 12oz of juice concentrate. Always use 100% juice concentrate. I have used cherry/apple, apple, and apple/strawberry (which I can not find this year) with great success. Strawberries. In fact about three cups of any kind of berries will do. I have made Marionberry/blackberry, blueberry/blackberry, cherry, strawberry, and I even tried my hand at grape one day (it was much sweeter with the grape juice) and all have turned out great!
OK... so we have 3 cups of berries, apples to fill an 8 quart pot, and 12 oz of juice concentrate.
So start first things first... how to chop an apple quickly. I don't like milling out seeds. So I chop my apples to leave the core behind, like this:
The only thing you have to remember is the near halves of apples will not cook quickly (the more skin, the slower it will cook), so you have to cut that in half one more time.
Adding them to the pot.
I told you these were LITTLE apples.
When you get a full pot;
start the burner on. You will hear them start to sizzle at the bottom. Add the juice concentrate (frozen or not, doesn't matter) along with ONE 12oz can of water. This helps the apples not stick to the bottom of the pot and starts the "steaming/cooking" process.
When the apples are about half way cooked, then you add the berries (again, frozen or thawed, doesn't matter. They still have about 10 minutes to cook).
Now comes the milling. I have found that the easiest way to mill apples is to have two pots. Take laddlefulls out of the full pot and put them into the mill on top of the other pot. (This pot can be smaller as this is only going to produce 6 qts of applesauce in the end.)
Cyan decided she needed to do this part. If you cook the apples enough there is VERY little waste. (I think I got just over a cup of skins)
This is the point where the taste testing is important. Call you friends and neighbors over to see if the applesauce will pass mustard. If you need a little sugar, add a little sugar. Most of the time I have found that the juice concentrate is the only sweeter we need, but with some of the varieties (like the cherry) I added 1/4 cup of sugar to the mix before canning and that brought out the 'cherry' much better than before, but added VERY little sweetness... just have fun with this part. But becareful... it doesn't seem like it, but 1/2 a cup of sugar in this mix has been TOO much. So add slowly and taste often.
And here is the finished product. This batch passed unaltered...
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Val; Living the dream we have been working towards for over 5 years.
Mama to Alex, Cyan, and Logan. Wife to my very best friend.
looks delicious. I believe that I will make this this coming week - however, I'm going to peel since I do not have a mill and I like the chunkier. But, this is officially my homemaking goal this coming week.
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Rebecca, wife and mother
Lauren January 2009
a) no empty calories, b) nine fruits and veggies, c) 30 mins exercise/day
Thanks! Glad you posted Rebecca, as I don't have a mill, either. I'll definitely try this after I'm recovered fully from birth! LOL We LOVE applesauce.
Location: When I dare to be powerful -- to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.
Posts: 9,525
Laurie I actually hold you completely responsible for my new obsession with taking pictures of my food. lol... I am really enjoing it though, so thank you, but you definately created a monster.
I followed the link over thanks. I definitely like these type of posts. I need to learn how to post my digital pictures here and join in. I love cooking, cooking shows, cooking blogs ect. Here is a blog I really enjoy reading www.amateurgourmet.com.
Oh, I love it! Thanks for posting this! If I can get my hands on some decently priced apples (or free), I'll be trying it!
Ahhh I've been looking for you. Well actually I clicked on your blog and didn't save it and could not remember your name. Now its added to my favorites to read.
O.k I'm going to try your recipe using apples and blueberries. My kids have been loving the Blueberry Delight by Motts Healthy Harvest. We have a freezer full of blueberries, plenty of canning jars, lids, rings ect just need to get apples and a food mill. I have seen the food mills at Walmart hope they still have them. If not I have one of those apple slicer/corer things and will make it chunky.
Location: When I dare to be powerful -- to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.
Posts: 9,525
Using blueberries I would use 2 cups of berries instead of 3. I should have stipulated that the 3 cups was mainly for large berries (cherries and strawberries, and marion blackberries etc)... But besides that, you should be good.
We LOVED the Blueberry/Marionberry Applesauce from last year. I may have to think on that and make more.
Please post reviews and such when you are done. I would LOVE to see other peoples tricks with this recipe.
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