Homemade applesauce

The week before last, my parents travelled to my house for our annual applesauce-a-thon. It was their first trip away over night since my mom's surgery, a big milestone in her recuperation.

We had four baskets of apples - one each of Granny Smith, Yellow Delicious, Cortland and Winesap - so our work was cut out for us.

Thursday afternoon we began by washing and cutting apples and cooking them - we mix the varieties as we cook. Nothing special, we just wash them and unpeeled, cut them into small chunks (the pigment in the skin adds a pink tinge to the finished product) and cook in stock pots with enough water to keep them from burning. We cooled them overnight on my back porch in a large tub (you know, the kind you cool a keg in!)

We brought it inside in small batches:

Then we pass the cooked apples through a cone shaped food mill - this is the exercise portion of the process:

After about three hours of building up our biceps, the four baskets of apples were reduced to this much waste:

And this much applesauce (this is a ten gallon tub!)

Please note that my mom's cane was integral in this picture!

After a thorough stirring, we bagged the applesauce into zip-top bag and loaded the freezer. Note that because we use a mixture of apples, the addition of sugar was not necessary. We garnered about 38 quarts of apple goodness for the coming year. And on New Year's Day, when we sit to enjoy our traditional meal of roast pork with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes, we'll have the best applesauce to enjoy with it.

Special Thanks

A few weeks ago, I returned from one of my many visits to my parent's house and was greeted by a large box. In it was this:

My dear blogging friend Sue of Rue Mouffetard made this for me. Of course I cried. Not so much for my beloved pet, but that someone I have never met was so kind to make such a beautiful remembrance for me. Through our blogs we have become friends. She has family from my husband's hometown and I live near her daughter. I am looking forward to meeting her soon as she will be visiting her daughter at the holidays.

Thank you Sue for a gift that I will treasure forever. See you soon.

Friday Funny - the Sleep Test Edition

Okay, so last year I underwent a sleep study since I seemed to feel tired all the time. And then again for the CPAP machine. In case you're wondering, by the time you get hooked up to all the wires, you do look a bit like the last cel.

This and That Thursday

Okay, so it's been almost three weeks since my voice has been heard. So here's what's on my mind today:

1. Will the house across the street from me ever sell? It's been on the market for over 18 months. Get a clue people - clean up the outside and it may just sell.
2. If they clean up the outside, then the rest of us won't have to deal with the leaves from their lawn that keep blowing into our lawns.
3. Making the Pioneer Woman's Braised Short Ribs for dinner today. I can almost taste them just looking at her pictures.
4. Made tons of applesauce last week with my parents. It's a lot of work, but oh so worth it when you open up a package in a month or so - heaven on a spoon.
5. How is it possible that Thanksgiving is only a week away? Didn't we just celebrate the 4th of July?

Note: The short ribs were out of this world. Do try them!