Instructions

1. Wash, core and peel your apples.

2. Slice your apples into rings or quarters, depending on your preference. Make sure you cut them into approximately equal sizes to ensure they are uniformly heated during the processing.

3. Treat the apples with a commercial ascorbic acid preparation or a homemade mixture of ascorbic acid and citric acid to prevent discoloring during processing. Let the apples sit in this mixture while you complete Step 4.

4. Decide if you want to pack the apples in syrup or water. If you plan to bake with the apples, use an extra light syrup or water. If you plan to use the apples as a side dish, you can use a light or medium syrup. You can find recipes for the syrups in any home canning guide.

5. Remove the apples from the antioxidant mixture, drain and boil gently for five minutes in the syrup.

6. Pack the apples in either pint or quart-size canning jars. Make sure you leave a 1/2 inch headspace and that you remove all air bubbles using your bubble spatula.

7. Wipe the rim of the jar with a clean paper towel, place the lid and band on the jar, tighten and process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes. The processing time is the same for pints and quarts.