the work we do

It's apple season around here and eager hands helped to gather what they could.

The first basket of pies and sauce and baked apples and fresh snacks went so fast none of it made it to the shelves.

Round two stuck around for some chopping and cooking and canning.

How we did it:

Core and chop apples (I like to leave the skin on for extra nutrients and flavor). Place in large pot, add about an inch of water and sprinkle on some cinnamon. Simmer, covered, until soft. Run the apples through the blender or food processor in batches and pour the mix through a wire strainer to remove any pieces of skin that didn't blend well.

To can, prepare jars (simmer glass, lids and rings to sterilize) and fill jars to the neck with boiling applesauce. Wipe the inside rims of the jars. Place the lids and rings on the jars, tightening them all the way, then releasing a quarter turn. Process in a hot water bath for 15 minutes. A bushel of apples yields about 8 quarts of sauce.

We added our jars to the growing stash beneath the stairs, along with the season's strawberry jam, jalapeno jelly and pear sauce.