Spiced Blueberry Applesauce

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 2 lbs blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 5 lbs apples, sliced and cored (weight is 5 lbs. after peeling, coring and slicing ( use several varieties for best flavor)
• 1 cup raw sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 3 tablespoons bottled lemon juice

Recipe

• 1 place the apples and blueberries into a heavy bottomed pot large enough to hold all the ingredients and allow room for stirring.
• 2 add just enough water to cover the bottom of the potâ??about 1/2 inch of water on the bottom or so.
• 3 put the pot onto high heat and stirring constantly, bring to a boil.
• 4 turn heat down to medium, and stirring continually, cook until the apples are all soft and some are beginning to break down, thickening the released fruit juices.
• 5 stir in the sugar and spices and keep cooking until the sugar is well combined.
• 6 turn off the heat, but keep the pot on the stove in order to keep the applesauce hot.
• 7 using an immersion blender, a food processor or food mill, grind the fruit up into a slightly chunky pureeâ??or, if you wish, grind it down to a perfectly smooth puree.
• 8 stir in the lemon juice thoroughly, then pack into hot pint or quart jars.
• 9 try to get any visible air bubbles out with a spatula; this is very difficult with very thick foods like applesauce, but try anyway. wipe off the rim of the jar with a damp cloth, then center a lid on top and screw on a band.
• 10 do not tighten the bandâ??just screw it down until it is closed, but not at all difficult to unscrew.
• 11 put into a hot water bath canner, making certain that water covers the jars completely.
• 12 bring to a boil, clap the lids on top of the canner and process the jars for 20 minutesâ??the processing time is the same for either pints or quarts.
• 13 when they have processed for twenty minutes, turn off the heat and open the lid to the canner.
• 14 allow the jars to sit in the hot water for five minutes, then carefully lift up each jar and set it on a folded dishtowel in order to keep the counter from possibly cooling the glass too rapidly, causing the jar to crack.
• 15 check the seals on the lidsâ??they should be concave and very tightly adhered to the jar rim.
• 16 if after 24 hours the lids have not sealed, either use up the food that did not seal, or re-pack using new jars and new lids.
• 17 recipe makes eight pints or four quarts.