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How to Use 4 Bushels of Apples

by Claire 2 Comments

Table Of Contents
  1. More on our recent move.
    • Here we come, Buckeyes!
  2. I want to preserve 1-year's worth of food for my family.
    • How much food does it take to feed my family of 4 then?
  3. the Village Reservoir

We moved into our first house this month. And without unpacking anything more than the bathroom essentials & our bed, I decided it was the perfect time to start a canning marathon because….why not? So we bought 4 bushels of apples from a local orchard less than 72 hours after getting keys.

That ever happen to you?

No?

Just me then. ☺️

blank oatmeal colored background with gold font that reads "hello lovely"

I’m Claire. 👋🏽

And what you’ll find out about me is that I frequently suffer from shiny-object syndrome. Just about anything homesteady, book-ish, food or kitchen related will INSTANTLY grab my attention.

What can I say? I’m a sucker for stainless steel appliances, glass dishes & sweet treats.

My husband says I have the perfect shenanigan because any way I spin it, the house usually pays for it. 😎

More on our recent move.

Well, the short of it is this. My husband & I wanted to move to a slower pace of living & be more independent. That desire kickstarted our journey to being more self-sufficient. And we ran with it. Starting in the kitchen for me & with auto maintenance/repairs for him. (Check out where I recommend starting here!)

As we started learning those things, we realized we’d eventually need to leave the East Coast (USA) altogether. So, we picked 3 states. (We considered international, but decided to forego it at the time. It’s still something we’d love to do though). The Big Three were Missouri, Ohio and Michigan.

No real rhyme or reason. We’d been to all 3 before and on paper they were more affordable than Maryland (MD). Sadly, there aren’t too many places in the States that aren’t cheaper than MD. According to this data, MD is the 10th most expensive state in the country. Right up there with DC, Cali, Hawaii…Are you getting the picture now?

As part of the pick, we began looking into the details of life in those places. Governance on farming, homeschooling, political and religious climate, weather and of course – the job market. (More on this little nugget in another diary post. Stay tuned for all the entrepreneurial faux paz!)

So, we dabbled in the move-making mindset for a couple years. Then, got serious about it early 2023. My husband began applying to several jobs and landed one in OH at the tail end of summer.

Here we come, Buckeyes!

There were 8 weeks from his first interview to our very first settlement. And in that time, it felt like life moved so fast. We packed up & moved west. Like you read about in cowboy stories.

And when we got to our newest patch of dirt, in the midst of a house newly filled with boxes from our 1-bed apartment, we bought 4 bushels of apples.

SPOILER ALERT!

Now, here’s something else about me. I rarely can resist a challenge. Even more so if that challenge comes at a deal & involves preserving food.

In-progress image of turning 4 bushels of apples into applesauce, shown is a pot full of sliced apples with red skins and a wooden spatula sitting on a black stove waiting to be cooked down into applesauce

So when my husband found a local orchard up the street, we jumped.

Well, maybe I jumped. He paid. *cha-ching*

We bought 1 bushel each of Cortland, Jonathan, Golden Delicious & Jonagold varieties strictly for making applesauce. I shared the process over on IG. Click here for Part 2 of the process.

But the bottom line is this.

I’m on a mission to put my newfound skills to the test. Since learning to can last year, I have been pushing the limits of our space & my ability. Maybe our budget too! 🤭 But all for a good reason.

I want to preserve 1-year’s worth of food for my family.

That would be ultimate self-sufficient living for us.

The 1-yr timeframe is just a start. It’s always been my dream goal since getting serious about decreasing our dependence on grocery chains many years ago. But realistically, we were space challenged (and skill challenged). So, now that we’re in a house with more storage, it’s possible we’ll be able to do that.

Mind you, I had this goal when “my family” was just me & my husband.

Now, it’s us & my son – who eats like a half-grown man at just under 2 years old.

block quote with olive green background and off-white font that reads "I feed mammoths. said Me at every meal"

I know that the amount of food stored will be arbitrary and reside on a moving slope. And then there’s my Sweet Girl, who’ll be almost 2 by the time we’ve been settled in a full year. But it’s a starting point.

How much food does it take to feed my family of 4 then?

Great question. Easy answer is I don’t always know. It’s trial & error. But I’ll write up some tips I used to show you how I determined it soon.

In the meantime, I bought 4 bushels of apples. The hope was from that I would make enough applesauce to last us until next year & next apple season. Learn why I believe in seasonal eating here.

Here are the details on this crazy-timed project.

VarietyBushel Weight (lb)Time to Process (Hr.)No. of Canned Jars (Qt)
Cortland40511
Jonathan40412
Green Delicious40312
Jonagold40313
Mixed–0.51
Total16015.549
Processing Data for 4 Bushels of Apples

The cost analysis would look something like this. (All values shown in $USD)

Cost of ApplesJars / LidsLaborSpice/EQP
$160$47–$5
Costs of making 49 Quarts of Homemade, Home-canned Applesauce

Without counting labor – because I really don’t know how to do that yet, it cost $0.14/oz. The equivalent (unsweetened, cinnamon applesauce that we were buying from the store) was $0.07/oz the last time we bought it. The organic version was $0.19/oz.

So, in the end we won. Yes, it cost us twice the amount to make applesauce vs buying conventional stock from grocery stores.

@becomingtraditional

Day ✌🏽 of Apple Preserving We processed 1 bushel of Jonathan apples today from a local farm. It’s our way of trying to put by a staple in our house. 🍎🍏 Compared to the Cortlands yesterday, these were beauties. So consistent one to the next, deep reds, firm textures, deliciously sweet & juicy & they cut cleanly too. 😇 The process was the same as yesterday (details below) but I didn’t forget the cinnamon today! I also used the blender instead of our food mill. What took me a couple hours in small batches yesterday was done in less than 15min today. 🙏🏽 Hallelujah for that. I was going to save the canning for tomorrow but went ahead & did one load tonight. My mind thanks me today, my body will tomorrow. 1 bushel = 12Q * We’re up to 23 of the 30 quarts I wanted to put up. 🤭 My process: • Select the best of all for processing. (Only kept back 2 today!) • Soak in water & ACV then scrub clean (I kept the peels) • Core, Inspect, Cook down with a bit of warm to prevent sticking • Mill, Fill clean jars, debubble/cap • Process by water bath per Ball/USDA Home Canning guidelines • Seed save for future self-reliance 🙂 So many more seeds today. I don’t use lemon juice since it’s for coloring & not safety. And I don’t add sugar ever. Start Small. Start Now. Start where you are with what you have. 🌱 #BecomingTraditional #TraditionalSkills #SustainableLiving #HomemakingInSmallSpaces #ApartmentHomestead #SelfSufficientLiving #SelfSufficientJourney #SelfSufficientLivingInSmallSpaces #SimpleLivingJourney #SmallSpaceLiving #MindfulnessMatters #EncouragementForToday #inspirationfortoday

♬ original sound – Claire
Processing 4 bushels of apples this year

Here’s what makes it worth it.

  • The apples were locally grown in a small orchard vs mass-produced
  • The jars that we bought (full-price) will be recycled for many other projects over the years, reducing this value in the future (to near zero)
  • If we were in the habit of buying organic applesauce, we’d have saved in this exercise – $78 actually.
  • We’ll be good on applesauce for 2024 – the whole point of the adventure in the first place.

But remember, there are other ways to preserve apples this fall. Read more about how to select the right apple variety for your chosen food preservation method!

Now to buy some more for apple slices…

brown girl wearing brown boots in grass lifting her dress to reveal brown knees
image of a signature saying "xo, Claire", the Creative behind the Becoming Traditional blog

🌱 Start Small. Start Now. Start where you are with what you have. The rest will follow.🌱

Is being more self-sufficient is something you’re interested in but you’re not sure where to begin? Check out the Traditional Skills Starter Guide, designed to help you eliminate some of that overwhelm.

Previous: Using Food to Increase Self-Reliance Right Now
Next: How to Choose the Perfect Variety of Apples for Food Preservation

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn commissions from qualifying purchases made through links on this post at no extra cost to you. Click here to read my full disclosure.

the Village Reservoir

Your one stop shop for all the great resources recommended in this post.

  • Village Posts
    • 3 Area to Focus on to Improve Your Self-Sufficiency
    • Using Food to Increase Self-Reliance Right Now
  • The Becoming Traditional Instagram
    • Day 1 of Processing 4 Bushels of Apples
    • Day 2 of Turning 4 Bushels of Apples into Applesauce for 1 Year

Filed Under: Our Story Tagged With: #OneYearofFood, Canning, food preservation, Self-sufficient living

Previous Post: « Using Food to Increase Self-Reliance Right Now
Next Post: How to Choose the Perfect Variety of Apples for Food Preservation »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. YB

    at

    WOW! You guys were in a whirlwind (made me think about the Wizard of Oz you know, house whirling around in the tornado, but I digress).
    You seem to be happy through it all, and that’s great.. And your homesteading journey was only on pause, and that’s great too.
    Looking forward to more adventures with Becoming Traditional. I’m learning alot, even in this stage of life (60-something).
    Enjoy your family, your new home, and most of all continue to become traditional!

    Reply
    • Claire

      at

      Thank you so much for reading and commenting & following along! I’m glad you’re here for it 🙂

      Reply

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Welcome to the Village

girl in grey dress in field and sunshine becoming traditional via the simple life

It can be tough having an idea of how you want to live but just not knowing how to make it happen. It’s also hard not having a lot of support to get there.

Hi! I’m Claire, a Creative, homemaker, wife & full-time SAHM of 2 under 2. I do alot & I read alot. Both things that fast-tracked my journey to becoming traditional – learning old-fashioned skills that have been lost on my generation. And that’s helping my family be more self-sufficient. One day my small family’s dream to trade in the city life for life on our own land will come true. But until then, you’ll find me figuring things out as we go, apartment-steading in our 1-bed unit in the heart of the city sharing encouragement & tips along the way. Click here to read more about me!

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