Applesauce

Last night for family home evening we made applesauce. The girls were excited and helped by washing the apples. They fought over it. They fought over who got to turn the crank on the applesauce maker and who got to mash the apples down into the crank. They wanted to help with each and every step and it was exciting to them. I thought I needed to do the apples when it was family home evening because I needed Cameron's help and I discovered that the girls are so big now that they are wonderful help. I didn't participate much in the actual mashing or turning of the apples. I didn't even have to wash very many apples. I added the sugar and tasted. I filled the jars and pulled them out of the canner when they were done and I cleaned up. But my girls are so big that they helped a lot. And my husband helped a lot too!

When the applesauce was cooking I taught the lesson. I taught my girls that we must use our money wisely. That these apples were free and that the jars were saved and reused again and again. That we didn't even buy the red hots that might make the applesauce taste better and I was very stingy with the sugar. I taught my daughters that Heavenly Father intends us to learn to provide for ourselves and that we did by picking the apples for free and making them for free at home. I taught my daughters that when they grow up they should make applesauce for free in their homes. Because they can and there might come a time when they have to.

When it was all done we made 13 quarts and 9 pints of applesauce. There are as many more apples in the garage and they are just waiting for more jars and lids. I used every jar but 4 that I had and all the lids.