Magical Apple Picking & Preserving

Phew! What a weekend!  On Saturday we went apple picking on what turned out to be a GLORIOUSLY beautiful day!


As we picked, we talked about the gifts of the Goddess, as literally her seeds have born fruit for us to enjoy.  The 2nd harvest is in full swing now that Mabon has come, and we are enjoying each moment! All too soon we will be counting down to Samhain (my absolute FAVORITE time of year!). 

K. on his uncle's back

The magical star inside the apple

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The following day, I was alone with the kids at home and tried (desperately) to get some canning done.  This likely sounds easier than it was! Every step of the way, 1 kid wanted a cup of juice or another would cry for a bottle...one needed a snack while the other wanted me to stop and hold her (due to the hot water, I didn't want her in a sling while I was trying to can). 

If you've ever done canning before, you know that some things DO rely on timing.  I did manage to get 4 quarts done - 3 of them with chunks of apples in a light syrup (for pies, apple crisps, and to put in recipes like muffins, pancakes, topping for ice cream, etc)  and 1 quart of strawberry applesauce.  I also started a jar of apple cider vinegar, so we'll see how that goes! The following are some pics I managed to take of the process:

Peeling and Coring the apples

Cooking the apples

Collecting scraps as I added more apples to the cook pot

Filling the cans - keeping the water simmering to keep jars hot while I fill each one painfully slowly while being interrupted by the kids!

Starting the apple cider vinegar jar

The finished product so far:  4 quart jars

My husband also made an apple crisp, and I'll likely make a pie or 2 (or 3) this coming weekend.  Whatever is left of the apples at that point I'll have to decide if I want to try to can them, or just keep them around for fresh eating.   I hope you all had as magical a weekend as we did, even if it was a little hectic!