Farmall Cub

I am looking for a recipe for canning apples. I have one for apple pie filling, but heard that people used to can apples just to eat. But no one knows how to do it. I would like to have the recipe if anyone can help. Thank You.

I have most of my Nana's old cooking and canning recipes. I will try to remember to look tonight if she had one for just apples and not apple sauce.

CubSarah,
Give this site a try. Looks pretty promising.

http://www.pickyourown.org/canningappleslices.htm

The best way to preserve apples is get some moonshine and put a couple of apples in each jar let them sit for a spell and you have APPLE BRANDY.
WARNING DO NOT EAT THE APPLES.

Jim

Looked through my old recipe books, some 100 years old. Nothing on canning whole or sliced apples. Do have recipes for apple butter/sauce, jelly and jams.

Folks used to make and can apple butter/sauce. Thinking the reason for the sauce is that apples readily break down when heated.

I think that my mom's side of the family used to make something like the apple brandy! But my little ones cannot have anything like that. They just love eating apples so that was why I thought I would try a recipe. That would make sense on the apples breaking down. I know if they are not fixed just right they will turn and go bad. I freeze them for cakes and muffins and then I can pie filling, applebutter and jelly. I also freeze the applesauce. I thank you all so much for the helpful information.

A friend who is now passed on (not due to eating canned apples!) gave me a recipe for canned apples. I'll double check tonight, but here's what I remember:

Make syrup from 3 parts water to 1 part sugar (or ratio of your choosing). Make enough syrup for the amount of apples you have.
Peel, quarter and seed the apples. Place in lemon water to prevent browning.
Cook apples in syrup, but not long enough to cause apples to get mushy.
Have jars clean and hot; have lids in boiling water; pack apples/syrup in jars making sure there are no air bubbles. Fill to 1/2" of top, wipe top.
Secure lids w/ rings.

Again, I'll try to double check the actual recipe tonight, but the above is fairly close. My mom even put red hots in the syrup, causing the apples to take on a red appearance.

Alright, here's the real McCoy:

1. Peel, halve or quarter apples, cover with water, add a light sprinkling of salt to keep apples from discoloring during the work process.
2. Prepare syrup: Light syrup: 3 parts water, 1 part sugar; Medium syrup: 2 parts water, 2 parts sugar (or equal parts).
3. Prepare jars by boiling (wide mouth jars work well vs. small mouth), remove from boiling water as needed (I've also used the dishwasher will great success; clean and hot).
4. Cook apples in water only until they are soft. Do not leave them on too long or they will become mushy.
5. Remove jar from boiling water, fill with apples, add syrup until jar is full to top.
6. Remove any air bubbles. Add jar lids which have also been in the hot water and close lid very firmly.

(From the kitchen of Philip Rice, St. Joseph, MO)

Hope this helps. I wasn't too far off just from memory!

Most of the old timers I remember didn't can apples but sliced them in sections and hung in the attic or hay mow on a string and dried them. Each section was separated from the others so air could flow between. This made dried apples called apple leather.

No dice on a recipe from Nana for just apples canned.

Thank You for the recipe. I think that I will try it. With it made that way, I would be able to use them for other things too.

cubsarah,

Please be aware that the canning method (open kettle canning) described in the recipe is no longer considered a safe canning practice. Here is one link to an article dealing with the possible problems of this type of canning.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/525433/why_open_kettle_canning_is_a_really.html

I know many will argue that it is perfectly safe, but I prefer to error on the side of caution. You can decide for yourself.

Ike