Canning Applesauce

We had a fantastic time apple picking this year.  But you know how it is, apple picking goes so fast that the kids fill your bags with more apples than you can possibly use.  But this is the year I started canning, so I thought I'd make a little (read a LOT) more applesauce than usual.  My kids love it.  I looked up a bunch of recipes on sites I like and then thought I would just do the math to make a large batch of the applesauce recipe that I used last year.  That recipe was posted by Heidi of Tried and True Cooking with Heidi.  It is the best applesauce I've had.  You can find the original recipe here.  I used 38 apples in my canning version (although it would have been easier to use 40, now that I'm thinking about it, so I'll post as if I used 40 apples)

Yield: 5 litres of applesauce

40 apples
7.5 cups of water
2.5 cups of sugar or Splenda
5 tsp cinnamon

Peel and slice all your apples.  Place all of the ingredients into a large stock pot and mix.  Cook until the apples are soft, stirring occasionally.  Use a hand blender to puree. 
Prepare your canning jars and lids.  I think you can use a water bath for canning applesauce, but I have been schooled in the safety of pressure canning.  I pressure canned this for about 20 minutes at 11 psi which worked beautifully. 

Salsa - my first canning experience

We bought a pressure canner!  Canning is a venture that my husband and I had long talked about but never did anything about.  I have fantastic memories of helping my mom can peaches and cherries and antipasto when I was a kid.  (mmm, home canned peaches!). 
Getting the canner was more my husband's doing than mine.  He really is searching for a great tomato sauce.  And he wants to can it.   Last week we went to a local farm and got a bushel of roma tomatoes.  He used half of them to make a large amount of tomato sauce with the intent to can.  He was disappointed with the recipe and decided to freeze his sauce, rather than canning.  I happened upon a salsa recipe at one of my favorite blogs,  Mennonite Girls Can Cook.  I figured that the recipe would be a keeper because I grew up in a town full of Mennonites.  I know they really can cook.  I've bought their baking and canning at local events.    Delicious.  This salsa was too.  It is a mild salsa and now that I know I can make it, I know I can play with it a bit for next time to turn up the heat.  The recipe originally called for water bath canning, but I pressure canned it as pressure canning is a much safer form of canning (no need to make anyone sick on my first canning venture!).  I'm really excited about this and look forward to other kinds of canning in the future.

15 lbs Roma tomatoes
3 lg onions
6 - 8 sweet peppers in a variety of colors
6 - 10 jalapeno peppers, seeded, chopped fine
12 garlic cloves, crushed - (I upped this to 20)
2 - 10 oz cans tomato paste
2 cups vinegar
1 cup lime juice (bottled)
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp paprika
2 Tbsp oregano
3 tsp cumin
1 can black beans
1-2 bunches cilantro, chopped - (I used 3 bunches)

1. Wash and chop tomatoes, adding to pot as you go.
2. Finely chop onions and peppers, adding to pot.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to boil on medium heat.
4. Simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Ladle into (sterilized) jars, using canning funnel, cover with lids and screw rings.
6. Place into hot water bath in large canner, bring to boil and process for 20 minutes. (I pressure canned instead, following the instructions with my canner
7. Remove and allow to cool at room temp. Keep in cool storage.