Preserving Time

A quick trip to Dad's place and we've got nearly five gallons of grapes. Never in my life have I canned before so this was the boost I needed.

Canning was something I always wanted to try. Something on my homesteading to-do list but I was terrified of botulism and glass shattering. Because of those two things, we decided on a pressure canner which can also double as a water bath canner.

So on this gorgeous day, we set out to separate the good grapes from the bad (and compost the ones we couldn't use).

Once everything was cleaned and stemmed, I followed a recipe for whole grape canning which will result in grape juice concentrate.

You funnel the grapes in with sugar and boiling water then can them appropriately.

In they went to be canned.

And out they come, already extracting some of the juice.

You're supposed to wait a few months before opening to really get all the flavor from the grapes into the concentrate.

No jars shattering and good tight seal. I couldn't be more pleased.

And with the bushel of apples we snagged at the market, it was time to make our beloved applesauce recipe.

Last year, I split our apple supply in half, using some for applesauce and the others for apple pie filling to go in the freezer. We ate up the applesauce so quickly last year I just decided to devote all of the apples to the sauce making.

Tessa had a blast doing the "round and round" part of peeling the apples. If you don't have one of these awesome tools, they are a must for kids!