Apples, apples, apples.....

I picked apples last week at my in-laws and came home with 10gal. of them. With 1/4 I made this apple sauce. These apples were either not ripe enough or a different kind of apple. They don't do well on heat, they fall apart and.......they get really thick. So I have to assume they are loaded with pectin. That's ok. But I really wanted to put some up as pie filling. I wont with these tho. But they made a great tasting applesauce. I kept adding unfiltered organic apple juice but they just kept absorbing it. I finally came out with what you see up there. And its nice and thick. I just added a bit of sugar and some cinnamon. I think Ill either make more of this or some apple butter with whats still in the garage. 

Sunday I went to the farmers market and bought a half flat of blackberries. The ones in my yard are still lil green things and most likely the critters will get to those before I can. They ate everything else out there already. So the other day I made Plum/Blackberry/Ginger Jam and today I made Blackberry Apple Jam. Here's that recipe. 

 Blackberry Apple Jam Makes 7pts.

3lb. apples
4pts blackberries
2c. organic sugar
3c. organic unfiltered apple juice
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Juice of one lemon
1 box Ball No sugar pectin
1c. organic sugar

Check apples for soft spots and cut out, then quarter. Toss with about 2 tsp. Fruit Fresh or ascorbic acid and apple juice.Toss all fruit in a lg. pot with the 2c. sugar and mix well to coat. Let stand overnight to macerate.

Next day cook till fruit is hot and apples are breaking down. 20min or so. Take off heat and let cool enough to handle. Run mixture thru a food mill to remove all seeds, skins etc. Measure fruit puree. I got about 12c.

 Place in lg. pot and add vanilla, cinnamon and juice of one lemon. Bring to a boil. Stir in pectin mixed with 1c of sugar. Whisk till dissolved. Boil for 3 min. Mixture should start to thicken a bit. I start the water bath canner while I'm doing all this and bring it to a boil, then lower at a simmer till ready to use it. Then can and water bath for 10min. I start counting once the water bath canner is boiling after the jars are in.

This mixture was very thick to start with. I only added a box of pectin to thicken it more for jam. I do believe it may be the apples I used. They were from my in-laws tree and I think many were not very ripe yet. Or perhaps its just the kind of apple they are. My applesauce thickened easily without much cooking, so perhaps its the apples I used. If you find that its very watery when you do yours, either cook down a bit more and add the one box ...........or add two boxes to be sure.

I always end up with a little bit more than will fit in the jars no matter how many I make. I think I have about a cup left so Ill just refrigerate that.