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Pickled Apples




A few weeks ago, we went apple picking and came home with 50 pounds of apples. I had a few dishes in mind that I wanted to make, and this was one of them. I made pickled apples last year, and loved them. Of course, I didn't note the recipe or the source of the recipe.


I searched high and low, but every single recipe I found used red hots (yup, the candy) as a flavoring. Well, that kind of goes against everything we are trying to do (not to mention, it sounds kind of gross), so I kept on looking. Still, no luck. Using the red hot recipes as a guide for safety, I paved my own road. Ok, more like repaved a road that many had previously traveled, but still....


The final product turned out great, taste wise. I had a very difficult time canning these suckers though. The apples just did not want to stay put. I'm talking serious float. I haven't been canning that long and I'm still super clumsy when it comes to canning fruit. It seems like no matter what I do, it all floats. Usually it's not too bad, but with the apples, I'm actually a little concerned about the safety. The apples weren't entirely covered with the brine and there was very little head space. To be safe, Craig and I will not be sharing these apples (I can deal with giving us botulism, ours friends not so much). So, keep this all in mind if you decide to follow the recipe below. And if you have any pointers, for god's sake, share them!


Pickled Apples

makes 6 pints


6 pounds apples

3 cups sugar

3 cups water

2 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar

2 tsp whole cloves

4 4-inch cinnamon sticks

Vitamin C tablets


Create an anti-browning ascorbic-acid bath by dissolving crushed vitamin C tablets in cold water. Working one apple at a time, peel, core and slice. After slicing, place in the vitamin C bath.


Bring the sugar, water, vinegar, cloves and cinnamon sticks to a boil. Drain apple slices and add to the brine. Bring back to a boil and simmer 5 to 7 minutes. Pack apples in pint jars and cover with brine. Leave 1/2" headspace and process for 15 minutes


**I've said it before and I'll say it again: These are not thorough canning instructions. If you have never canned before, I recommend taking a class. There are a number of precautions one must take to avoid poisoning oneself and one's loved ones with botulism.**

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