Pink Applesauce
Pink Applesauce
Inspired by some of my canning friends, who add all sorts of other fruits to their applesauce, I decided to mix things up a little by making applesauce with cranberries. It came out a pretty shade of pink. The cranberries also added nice tartness to the mix. Doing it over, I would add another bag of cranberries, perhaps. The nice thing about applesauce, is you can make any amount, depending on how many apples you happen to have. You can also freeze the mixture if you don’t want to can it.
Pink Applesauce
60 medium apples, I used mostly Melrose and some Jonathans
12 oz. cranberries
water
1 c. lemon juice
sugar to taste
Peel and core apples. Put in water with some ascorbic acid, citric acid or lemon juice to prevent discoloration. Place apples in a pot with enough water to prevent sticking and add the cranberries and lemon juice. Cook over medium high heat until soft. I wanted smooth applesauce, so I ran the cooked apple mixture through a food mill on the medium blade. Return apple mixture to pan and bring to a boil. Sweeten with sugar, if you like, or leave unsweetened. Have water bath full of boiling water and have hot, clean canning jars and lids and rings ready. Ladle hot applesauce into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Wipe rims and apply lids. Process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes for pints or quarts. Turn off heat and let jars stand in water bath 5 minutes before removing. Set in a draft free area to cool down. Yield: 8 quarts 0r 16 pints.
