preserving apples recipes please?

kermitnz1, Jan 28, 9:34pm
Hi guys, I am after some simple recipes if anyone can help me please, we are about to be inundated with apples from our two apple trees and I would like to preserve/bottle as many as possible.

I will bottle a lot using the oven method with just a light syrup (unless someone else has an easier way? ) But I would also like to make an apple sauce (for pork) that bottles and keeps well, an apple and mint jelly, and a spicy/savory type sauce to put in bottles.

Any recipes or ideas would be very appreciated, thank you.

indy95, Jan 28, 10:37pm
Kermitnz1, this recipe for spiced apple sauce is an old one but is really good. I hope you can cope withthe old measurements.

8 lbs apples, chopped
4 lbs sugar
1/2 lb salt
6 onions peeled and chopped
1 oz whole cloves
1 oz whole allspice
1/2 tsp cayenne
2 quarts vinegar

Put everything except whole spices into a large pan. Tie whole spices in a bag and add to pan. Cook the mixture very slowly for 2-3 hours, then strain and put through a blender if you want a really smooth sauce. Put in sterilised bottles while hot and seal.

N. B. This makes a fairly sweet sauce but the amount of sugar can be altered to taste depending on which variety of apple you use.

kermitnz1, Jan 28, 10:40pm
Thanks heaps indy, that seems like a nice straight forward recipe, just what I was looking for :-)

indy95, Jan 28, 11:55pm
This is a good reliable recipe for apple and mint jelly fromUK Good Housekeeping.

2. 5 kg cooking apples, roughly chopped ( there is no need to peel or core them )
1. 2 litres water
Some sprigs of fresh mint
1. 2 litres vinegar
Sugar
Chopped fresh mint
Green food colouring (optional )

Simmer apples with water and mint sprigs until very soft, then add vinegar and simmer for another 5 mins. Strain through a jelly bag for at least 12 hours, resisting the temptation to squeeze the bag.
For each 600 ml of liquid add 500g sugar, bring to boil and boil rapidly for about 10 mins or until setting point is reached. Remove from the heat and add as much chopped fresh mint as you want and a few drops of food colouring if you want green jelly ( I don't bother with that ) Let cool for 10 to 15 mins and stir to distribute the mint through the jelly before putting into jars.

kermitnz1, Jan 29, 2:04am
Excellent, thank you again! ! ! I will change the first recipe over into metric, and print them both off for my recipe folder :-)

annie.nz, Jan 29, 3:50am
You can preserve cooked apple pulp plain without sugar, so that later it's there ready to be used, or eaten with breakfast as is.

The only tricky bit is stopping browning while cutting the apples up. From the internet, putting them into a solution of ascorbic acid (vit. C) is most effective, or you can put them into a bowl of water with some salt and some lemon juice added (which I can tell you, isn't perfect).

I tend to work fast, in small batches and cook the apples in a fairly small pot. Once 3-4 apples are cooking, I add new ones and poke them under the apple pulp already cooking, doing about 1. 5 kg at once, which produces nice white bottled apples.

Bottle hot into hot sterilised jars, fill to top, adding a bit of boiling water to top up if needed. Put seal on and let cool.

kermitnz1, Jan 29, 5:32am
Thank you for that annie, I will give that a go as well, I like to try different methods of bottling. When you top up the jars do you take it right to the very top, or leave a little headroom?

annie.nz, Jan 29, 5:44am
I don't leave headroom, though it's a fine line between no headroom and a messy overflow when you put the lid on. When the mixture cools, it'll contract in volume enough for the lid to pop in.

3jtrader, Jan 29, 5:46am
I really like apple syrup, especially as a substitute for maple on pancakes. You wash the apples and cut them into chunks (cores skins and all makes better flavor, but if you don't leave the cores and skins in you can use the pulp for applesauce) and cook them for 10-15 minutes with a litre of water for every kilo of apples. When the apple is all cooked down you strain the liquid off and let it cool. Measure the liquid you get, and for every cup of liquid add a cup of brown sugar, and a small splash of vanilla and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Boil it until it's the thickness you want (I like thin syrup but some like thick so boil for longer) and pour into jars to store. I save the Greggs tomato sauce bottles and put the cold syrup in them to serve. Can't tell you how long it keeps though because it goes really quick in our house. Nice on pikelets, pancakes, poured over baked apples for dessert, in milk like a milkshake syrup, and heaps of other uses too.

kermitnz1, Jan 29, 9:25am
Thank you annie. 3jtrader, that sounds similar to the way I make my appel stroop, yummmmmmm.

indy95, Jan 29, 11:14pm
Kermitnz1, I started worrying about the amount of salt in the apple sauce recipe last night so went back to the book to check it and that is the quantity given. It might be because the recipe is an old one but I'm sure you can work out how much you need to get the flavour right. I was expecting to find some queries about it but perhaps nobody else has noticed yet.

winnie231, Jan 30, 2:49am
Although not strictly an apple recipe - the following uses alot of apples:

This is what I make bottles and bottles of every year.
Also great made with smoked garlic or extra hot with double the chillis.

Garlic and Apple Ketchup:
750g apples, 250g garlic, 1. 5lt malt vinegar, piece root ginger-bruised, 3 chillies-split, 2 tbsp whole cloves, 4 tsp salt, 4 tbsp peppercorns, 500g treacle.
Chop apples, skin and cores included. Separate garlic cloves but don't peel. Combine all ingredients except treacle in large pot and boil gently approx 1 hour or until apples pulpy and garlic soft.
Rub through strainer or mouli and return to cleaned pot.
Add treacle and bring to the boil.
Boil 5 min and then pour into hot, clean bottles and seal.
Should be left several months before using.
It's worth the wait! ! !

kermitnz1, Jan 30, 10:12am
Thank you winnie, that sounds devine! ! ! I was looking for sauce recipes that use other things instead of tomatoes, so that recipe is now in my folder as well :-)

raewyn64, Jan 30, 6:55pm
winnie when do you use this ketchup - what for? it sounds very interesting but I need to know I will use it before making it :)

winnie231, Jan 31, 6:44am
The Garlic and Apple Ketchup is very versatile.
For example:
It makes a great steak, sausages, ... bbq sauce.
I use it in stews, casseroles, ... anywhere I had previously used worchester sauce.
Our friend 'fisher' from the MB here, often uses it as a marinade ... which reminds me to check if he needs a new bottle yet!
My daughter (12) loves adding it to mashed avocado & I enjoy adding a splash to homemade mayo or salad dressing.

doug57, Jan 31, 7:15am
http://frugalliving. about.com/od/freezingfoods/qt/Freezing_A
pples.htm

guest, Feb 12, 4:31am
All this sounds great but have tasted a bottled apple and mint thick preserved sauce was divine, would love the recipe as so called mate won't dilvuge, chuckle note not a jelly version