There are no pictures of our the past years making chunky homemade applesauce, but the empty jars that await me with the coming of every fall. I was very young when my mother and her sisters did their first canning of pears and peaches. I learned a lot by observing and helping them peel and cut up the fruit.
Many memories over the years and I'll share a few with you here....
1985 ~ My first time I ever challenged myself and made homemade cinnamon applesauce on my own, I was in my early 20's. Tim and I were living in North Carolina in the middle of High Hopes apple orchard. It was almost fall and at the orchard they were getting ready to pick all the apples for the season. One night I decided that I would go pick a few apples and make an apple pie. As I was picking apples for the apple pie... I started thinking about the apples that where on all these trees... this orchard was about 100 acres. We'll with all this being said... I went back in the house and double a couple brown paper grocery bags and went back out and picked some apples. The next day, I went out and bought my big enamel canning pot, canning jars and the other supplies that I needed. Then I started on my adventure... within a few couple days, I had made about 24 quart jars ~ 2 cases of cinnamon applesauce.
2000 ~ Several years went by without any homemade applesauce after those jars ran out. My husband kept asking when I was going to make some more applesauce. There was a group of us that had been talking about going up to (Apple Hill) Placerville, California in the fall. We had such a great time on that trip, there was about 20 of us, all ages. This is when we lived in the bay area... well Vallejo, California. Again... I was gathering up everything up that I would need because several years had past by since making homemade applesauce the last time. This time I decided to make 48 quart ~ 4 cases. After I finished making this batch of applesauce I had a little bit of applesauce left over after filling all the jars, so I decided to have a brunch with all that went on the trip to apple hill and a few other of our elderly from our church that couldn't make it.... we had such a wonderful time that day. There are a few that still talk about that day, now and how much they really enjoyed it. "What Great Memories!"
If you live in Northern California here is a site you might want to check out. It is a great day trip... fun with family and friends at Apple Hill... Placerville & Camino, California Area.
2005 ~ A couple years after moving to New Mexico, we bought a home in Corrales, a real country setting where there was an old orchard that had been turned into a small subdivision of homes nestled in the middle of this old apple and pear orchard. The property that we bought had 30 apple trees.... needless to say there were more apple than what we needed. We gave apples to all our friends and then gave some more! I couldn't tell you how many apples we canned those two years, but there was apples to freeze for futures pies and applesauce for us and all our family/friends! We even gave apples to a homeless shelter there in the area.
2012 ~ Here in Southern California we found a place that we can go pick Apples, so we can make applesauce again... our cupboard is bare, it only has empty canning jars! If you live in this area here is the site you can check out, this is also a nice day trip... Oak Glen, California, Oaktree Village Oak Glen ~ 14 Acres of Family Fun, Things to do in Southern California.
Many memories over the years and I'll share a few with you here....
1985 ~ My first time I ever challenged myself and made homemade cinnamon applesauce on my own, I was in my early 20's. Tim and I were living in North Carolina in the middle of High Hopes apple orchard. It was almost fall and at the orchard they were getting ready to pick all the apples for the season. One night I decided that I would go pick a few apples and make an apple pie. As I was picking apples for the apple pie... I started thinking about the apples that where on all these trees... this orchard was about 100 acres. We'll with all this being said... I went back in the house and double a couple brown paper grocery bags and went back out and picked some apples. The next day, I went out and bought my big enamel canning pot, canning jars and the other supplies that I needed. Then I started on my adventure... within a few couple days, I had made about 24 quart jars ~ 2 cases of cinnamon applesauce.
2000 ~ Several years went by without any homemade applesauce after those jars ran out. My husband kept asking when I was going to make some more applesauce. There was a group of us that had been talking about going up to (Apple Hill) Placerville, California in the fall. We had such a great time on that trip, there was about 20 of us, all ages. This is when we lived in the bay area... well Vallejo, California. Again... I was gathering up everything up that I would need because several years had past by since making homemade applesauce the last time. This time I decided to make 48 quart ~ 4 cases. After I finished making this batch of applesauce I had a little bit of applesauce left over after filling all the jars, so I decided to have a brunch with all that went on the trip to apple hill and a few other of our elderly from our church that couldn't make it.... we had such a wonderful time that day. There are a few that still talk about that day, now and how much they really enjoyed it. "What Great Memories!"
If you live in Northern California here is a site you might want to check out. It is a great day trip... fun with family and friends at Apple Hill... Placerville & Camino, California Area.
2005 ~ A couple years after moving to New Mexico, we bought a home in Corrales, a real country setting where there was an old orchard that had been turned into a small subdivision of homes nestled in the middle of this old apple and pear orchard. The property that we bought had 30 apple trees.... needless to say there were more apple than what we needed. We gave apples to all our friends and then gave some more! I couldn't tell you how many apples we canned those two years, but there was apples to freeze for futures pies and applesauce for us and all our family/friends! We even gave apples to a homeless shelter there in the area.
2012 ~ Here in Southern California we found a place that we can go pick Apples, so we can make applesauce again... our cupboard is bare, it only has empty canning jars! If you live in this area here is the site you can check out, this is also a nice day trip... Oak Glen, California, Oaktree Village Oak Glen ~ 14 Acres of Family Fun, Things to do in Southern California.
I usually use red and yellow delicious apples and some rome apples, but this year I changed up and used some different brands. It my little secret and I'll see if my family can tell the difference. I hope that they are recieved well... time will tell.
Just a few jars of chunky spiced applesauce to get us through this next year, we even was able to can up some apple butter and and freeze some apples to make apple pies for the upcoming holidays.
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