Applesauce and Other Things

I'm sorry I haven't been as diligent in posting lately. My life just got a whole lot busier as now I'm in charge of activities at my church. In 2 weeks we've had a Trunk or Treat, a service activity and coming up this Friday we have a talent night. On top of that my kids have had a few unexpected doctors appointments and with only one car, we've gotten stretched pretty thin! Whew! I have some new plans for my blog, so stay tuned. I just need to be able to sit down and do it.

Anyway, awhile back I canned about 18 quarts of applesauce. I have to report that it is now all gone! I had no idea that my 3 year old and 8 month old would eat it so quickly! It was like they inhaled it while I wasn't looking. My toddler begs for it every day. I really am grateful that he begs for applesauce and not something else. And since we don't put sugar in it, it's even better!

We went back to Larriland Farms to pick more apples, which I finally canned yesterday, but I only got 6 quarts out of that. What am I going to do? There's no way 6 quarts will last very long. It has been an interesting experiment in learning how much we would really need of one thing to last a year. I think I would need about 100 quarts of applesauce to last until next apple season. You really do need a whole cellar or basement to store enough food for your family.

Here are a few ways we go through applesauce so fast:

- We put it on pancakes and french toast, drizzled with a little bit of pure maple syrup.
- If a recipe calls for oil, I replace half of the oil with applesauce for a lighter recipe.
- Eat it in a big bowl with a spoon.

Today I also opened up a jar of blueberry jam that I canned this past spring. Mmmm! It was delicious and like a taste of the sunny day we picked the blueberries. I have to say I am very protective of my blueberry and raspberry jams. They are definitely something that we savor slowly, especially since we only have about 4-6 half-pints each!

Happy November! That wonderful time of Thanksgiving is coming upon us with the wonderful comfort foods of the holiday. If you're lucky, I just might share my mom's wonderful cornbread stuffing recipe...