Did you ever read "If You Give a Pig a Pancake?" I highly recommend it! I laugh EVERY time I read it.
My personal version goes like this...If I go to visit my sister, then I'm going to go in Autumn. If I go in Autumn, then I'm going to visit my favorite apple orchard (Mercier's Orchard in Blue Ridge, Georgia). If I go to Mercier's, then I'm going to offer to pick up apples for friends, neighbors, and co-workers and buy a couple of bushels for myself. If I buy apples for myself and my friends, then I'm going to be busy canning apple products for a week when I return.
And so it went again this year. I visited my sister in mid November, went to Mercier's, bought approximately 10 bushels of apples for friends (only 1 bushel for myself), and was completely overwhelmed 2 days before Thanksgiving, but I still had a few apples to process before I could start my holiday cookin'.
I tried to determine how I got myself into this position again and how I would avoid it happening again? I could NOT take several days off and drive to visit my sister. I could NOT buy a bunch of apples if I went. I could NOT offer to pick up apples for everyone else. I could NOT can my own applesauce; just buy some Mott's and call it a day. In the end, I determined that these things make me happy, so I am now okay with getting overwhelmed once in a while.
I did change up my applesauce and apple butter methods and save myself some time there. (Wash jars and put in water to heat For applesauce, I wash my apples, core them, and cut into chunks (no peeling). I put the diced apples in the blender and puree, peel and all. I dump the pureed apples into a heavy bottomed pot and turn the stove on low-medium. I continue this process until the pot is filled 3/4 full, stirring with each new blender load of pureed apples. I cook for 30 minutes after the last blender load is added. I add one or two boxes of Jell-O for extra flavor and sweetness (cherry Jell-o is a favorite). after stirring in the Jell-O, cook another 15 minutes. Then ladle the hot applesauce into clean, hot jars. Place lids and rings on jars. Water bath for 10 minutes.
And when I open a jar of yummy, homemade applesauce...I want to visit my sister. :)
Happy Canning,
~Leslie