Jarred Apples for Baking

   

Makes 7 quarts

12 pounds of apples (approx 30 apples)

3 cups sugar

6 cups water

3 tablespoons lemon juice

Wash, core and peel apples

Cut each apple with handy apple cutter and soak apple pieces in water treated to prevent fruit darkening

You may need to use 2 stock pots for this part

Combine half the sugar, water and lemon juice in each stock pot

Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar, lower heat

Drain apples and add half to each stock pot

Simmer 5 minutes, mixing apples in the hot syrup

Pack apples into quart jars leaving ½ inch head space

Add hot syrup, remove air bubbles

Add more syrup to bring the head space up to ½ inch

Wipe rim, apply lid and ring

Process for 20 minutes in a boiling water bath canner

After 24 hours have passed, remove rings and wash jars

Label jars with date and store.  Do not stack jars.

These are the jarred apples I used to make Apple Crisp and Apple Crisp Pie made especially for PI Day

I used a mixture of Rome and Red Delicious apples this year.   I was very happy with the Rome apples.  They held their color very well while I was working with them.

 

*Notes from September 2017

Bought 2 boxes of Empire Apples from Farmers Market.  $8 each=50 lbs=108 apples

Ended up with 25 quarts of apples

12 pounds = about 30 apples

30 apples = about 7 quarts

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Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken

 

I make this dish in my Cast Iron Skillet so I can take it from stove top right to oven.

 

4 boneless skinless chicken breast

Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste

3 tablespoons butter, divided

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

2 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon parsley

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Season chicken with salt and pepper

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large oven-proof skillet over medium high heat

Add chicken; sear both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side

Set chicken aside

Melt remaining tablespoon butter in the skillet

Add garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes

Remove from heat

Stir in brown sugar, honey, oregano, thyme, parsley and basil until well combined

Return chicken to the skillet, flip chicken to coat

Place in oven and roast until internal temperature of 160 degrees, about 25-30 minutes

Enjoy with your favorite side dishes

Marinated Mushrooms

1 pound whole mushrooms

4 teaspoons bottled lemon juice

2/3 cup olive or salad oil

3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon white vinegar (5%)

1 teaspoon oregano leaves

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1 teaspoon canning salt

2 tablespoons finely chopped onions

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

 

Wash dirt from mushrooms with a soft brush

Trim stems

Small mushrooms can be left whole, larger ones sliced

Place mushrooms in a saucepot, cover with water

Add lemon juice and bring to a boil

Boil 5 minutes, drain

Mix olive oil, vinegar, oregano, basil, and salt in a saucepan

Stir in onions and garlic and heat to boiling

 

Pack mushrooms into jars leaving 1 1/2 inch headspace

Fill each jar with brine leaving a 1/2 inch headspace

Remove air bubbles; add more brine to bring it back to 1/2 inch headspace

Wipe rim, apply lid and ring

Process for 20 minutes in a boiling water bath canner

After 24 hours have passed, remove rings and wash jars

Label jars with date and store. Do not stack jars

1 pound of mushrooms equals approximately 10 cups chopped before boiling

3 pounds of mushrooms equals approximately 7 half pint jars after processing

5 pounds of mushrooms equals approximately 34 cups cut up before boiling, 17 half pint jars after processing