Applesauce!

Friends, we made (and canned) some applesauce!

Contrary to what this picture would have you believe, it was not a solo effort.

Every blessed one of us spent a good part of the day working on it.

Washing apples (reserved for the 4-year-old)

Cutting apples (Mom and kids)

Cooking apples (Mom and Dad's job)

Putting apples through the food mill attachment on the KitchenAid (mostly older 2 kids)

Re-heating and seasoning applesauce (Dad's specialty)

Filling jars and running hot water bath canner (Mom's specialty)

Phew!

I always have to kind of gear up mentally for applesauce day.

Every big bowl in the house, every cutting board, every large pot & saucepan, every kitchen surface: utilized and requires cleaning up later.

Don't get me wrong--there's a lot to compensate for the colossal mess.

For one, your whole house smells like apple cinnamon deliciousness.

All day long.

Fresh applesauce for lunch is hard to beat!

[Whoa weird, didn't plan on everything matching for the photo!]

Also, seeing as how it's an "all hands on deck" sort of experience, you get some quality family time together--with built-in snacks!

I am so glad my husband and kids are the sort to pitch in when its applesauce time!

The reward:

21 quarts

In case you're wondering why they're outside:

for big jobs like this, I usually set up the hot water bath canner on our camp stove that lives out on the deck. Then I set up the card table to put them out on once they're done.

We still have around 15 from last year, so here's hoping this lasts through until next fall!

p.s. I was a canning maniac last year!

We still have at least 12 cans each of peaches, pears, and cherries left, too!

...which is good, because all I've done this year is jam and applesauce.

Guess I've got more priorities straight, anyway. Ha!