Applesauce season has begun.
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Pro tip: Including the peels when you cook applesauce much improves its flavor, and also gives it some added color. There are two ways to accomplish this. Simplest is if you’re already using a food mill to break down the cooked apples, in which case you don’t need to do anything ahead of cooking but wash and cut up the apples, peels, cores, and all, and the food mill will take care of it. (This was my mother’s MO when I was growing up.) Alternatively, you can tie up the peels (and other detritus) in cheesecloth and throw it in the pot to cook with the apples, then squeeze any retained liquid out after. I’ve done the latter method and it definitely works to get some of the extra flavor into the sauce.
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I use the peels when I’m sufficiently comfortable with the fruit’s growing methods.
I am running out of jars but still had a lot of pears to process! I made Ginger Pear Jam from the pomona pectin cookbook, and used up the last of my precious pectin on the recipe. I was worried because the jam didn’t set right away and also seemed to separate a bit but by the next morning looked better. This might be it for preserving for the year.. unless I rustle up more jars.
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