Posted in Show and Tell Friday

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Our Yellow Transparent apple trees went a little crazy this year. DH and I spent all day canning them. Ended up with about 68 quarts, plus some fresh sauce for the kids and some that went in the freezer the past week when DH squeezed the windfalls. Below is a photo journal of the experience. (This early retirement thing is turning out very well. I could not have canned this much applesauce on my own. In the past I've always had kids chopping the apples. But the two youngest were both at work. DH stepped in and it was great!). In addition, mid-way through the day, we ended up watching 5 grandkids while Kristel went to her OB check-up. All in all, a very long but productive day.

Both 7-gallon bins started out filled to the top.

DH was in charge of chopping and cooking the apples.
I was in charge of squishing the apples, mixing in the sugar, filling the jars, and canning them.
I got myself a little help squishing when the grandkids came over.

Even #4 got into the act, but she wasn't a whole lot of help.
To keep the youngest out of the kitchen (no burns, please!), we put her in the highchair and tossed her blueberries, which she loves.

Here's the beginning of the jar-filling.

By the time we were finished, cooling jars filled the dining room table, jars on the dryer, jars around the stove, and messy applesauce everywhere you can imagine: floors, clothes, counters, pots, pans . . . I even set a potholder on FIRE when I transferred the pressure cooker onto the burner, not realizing a sticky potholder was "glued" to the bottom of the canner. The kitchen sort of looked like the smoke from a California fire for a while. Thank goodness we have air conditioning, as it was one of our warmer days.

I think this is the end of my canning "season." No room for peaches this year, anyway, and I have some left over from last year.

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Comments

Posted by Anonymous

Wow! That looks great! I love that pressing apple machine.
Blessings,
Dawn
www.homeschoolblogger.com/my4sweetums

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Posted by Anonymous

Wow I do miss this! That was one thing about being born and raise in Wa that you just did! Everything apples for like a month. Your sauce is beautiful.
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/solidrock/

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Posted by Anonymous

What a blessing to have all those apples, and to be able to stock up your pantry with yummy applesauce!! Great Show & Tell!

Blessings,
Kym

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Posted by Anonymous

WOW! That is amazing. I canned jams for the first time this year. My hat is off to you for doing so much. Glad you had so many hands to help. =)

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Posted by inthedeepwoods

That's wonderful! It's so much work when you're doing it, but so worth it in the end. I saw you're added to my friends list. Just thought I would let you know that I'm moving my blog to: http://plainandsimplewife.blogspot.com/

Feel free to come see me over there!

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Posted by Mary/Canadagirl

Okay that is NOT fair. ((insert whinning here)) [0;

You have ALL the helpers !!! ((Okay pulling myself back together. hee he)

I love the sauser you have. I have a food mill myself. Wow you did great !!! I will let you know when I am ALL done how much we got.

Sending you HUGE ((hugs)) my SSiC
In Him<><
-Mary

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Posted by Jenn4him

Wow, that is a lot of apples. What a nice bounty!
Have a nice weekend. We are off to Arkansas on Sunday.
Jenn

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Posted by Anonymous

Yellow transparents make my favorite applesauce! I''m sure your family will have many many good meals with your bounty!

p.s. Our favorite thing to do is to spoon the applesauce over vanilla ice cream--it tastes just like apple pie a la mode!

--Barbara

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Posted by Anonymous

Wow! That is ALOT of apples!
I would love to be able to pick just one apple right off of a tree!

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Posted by Anonymous

Oops...
Up above is me!
keri@Sunny!
http://sunnynature.blogspot.com/

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Posted by Anonymous

How absolutely delicious!!! When all is said and done you can look and see what a great job you did and how very worth it it was!!!

You might be surprised to find out your grandkids might have this as a happy memory!!! I know I have happy memories of my granny like this!!!

Oh, and the blueberry thing, LOVE IT!!! That's where I would've wanted to sit. I just love blueberries!!!

Thanks for sharing,
Robyn
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sonoranstamper/

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Posted by Anonymous

Well know I know what you did for your anniversary!
That looks so very yummy. We have no apples this year. The frost we had before the drought with all the fires, destroyed the only orchard left in town ( Just this years crop, not the trees).
They grow Pink Ladies which I adore and make the prettiest applesauce ever.
Sorry about your smokey kitchen!
Because of Jesus, Bobbie

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Posted by Anonymous

Oh, my goodness! All that and your kitchen is still spotless and perfectly organized. You are a wonder. And I know the rest of the story with those blueberries, haha.

Stef

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Posted by HSB Suzanne

That's a LOT of sauce! I'm glad you were okay, even though your hotpad caught on fire.

BTW, I see your temp is 69 degrees! Wouldn't that be nice! :)

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Posted by Anonymous

That looks like a lot of fun for the kids! We have seven pints of applesauce ourselves. It's so much better than the store bought kind.
Pam

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Posted by Anonymous

Wow! You are one busy grandma! Making all of that applesauce and handling 4 children at the same time. Those pictures are soooooo cute. My favorite is the baby in the highchair, but their all cute. It looks like your having a lot of fun with your grandkids.

You know, when you wrote that you don't like Women's Fiction, I was really really shocked! Your a fiction writer!!! I would have never guessed that you don't read women's fiction!

I am not much a fiction reader, at all. ( But I do plan on reading yours!) I had bought some Amish Beverly Lewis books, but because fiction doesn't interest me, I've never been able to bring myself to read them! I always have a good book that I really do want to read, so one that doesn't interest me I just never get around to it.

I will ask them that question though - about their perception of all the Amish books and such.
Antoinette
www.homeschoolblogger.com/haflingerhorses

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Posted by Anonymous

Now that's a LOT of applesauce. How fun to get the whole family involved. Looks like it taste really good.

Angela
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/byourlove1

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Posted by Anonymous

What a 'fruitful' day!! (hehe!)
I'd be happy too, if someone kept tossing me blueberries!
Sandpiper

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Posted by Anonymous

OK. I'm impressed. Well, I guess if you have all the equipment, and the know how, it's not such a task, eh? I've learned one thing in life....having the right tools makes all the difference! know how helps, too! ha.
bethanyrae

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Posted by JoAnn

Wow, that is a lot of cans and it seems like a lot of work. How great that you and your husband had such a nice time together. :)
JoAnn

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Posted by Betty

Wow! What an awesome amount of apples and applesauce! Must be something in the air, or just that time of year. I've seen quite a few blogs this week about canning apples. Give hubby an extra big hug for helping.
Betty

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