applesauce

I'm eating applesauce out of the jar with a long-handled spoon. It's delicious--part of the batch I canned last September. I've pretty much decided I make the best applesauce ever. Mmm. Yes, please shield your eyes while I glow with inappropriate pride.

Would I think it was so good if I hadn't made it myself? I don't know. There's just something so wonderful about making applesauce. It is ridiculously simple, with a great lack of required precision. You peel and core and slice a giant pot full of apples (I prefer Empire), then toss it on the stove with a little water, sugar, cinnamon, and a little nutmeg (if you're me) and let 'er cook over low heat until the apples are easily mushed. And then, my favorite part: the smashing. No blender or strainer here, folks. Just me and the potato masher. So good.

Then pint jars are filled, lidded, and processed in a hot water canner. Also super simple: giant pot of boiling water? Check. Thirty minutes? Check. Pull the jars out, and let them sit on the counter to cool, listening for the delightfully satisfying "pop" sounds as the lids seal. One doesn't seal? That's ok. Just throw it in the fridge and eat it sometime within the next week.

The jars that do seal? Leave them on the counter so you can bask in their loveliness for a day or so, then put them in the cupboard to be enjoyed when apple season is far, far away. Like today.