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Core knowledge
By PAULETTE LASH RITCHIE CITRUS SPRINGS -- Granny Smith and Jonathan apples made a balance of tart and sweet, Citrus Springs Middle School teacher Marian Wood said, for the applesauce her family and consumer science students made and canned recently. The students prepared the homemade, or rather, school-made, applesauce in class and then had a visit from Citrus County Canning Kitchen plant manager Lauri Gist to supervise the canning. Ryan Chapman, 12 and Doug Marler, 13, explained how it is done. The applesauce is warmed, stirred and spooned into jars. The bubbles have to be stirred out, and all the sauce cleaned off the rim of the jar, they said. A pot of water with a towel in the bottom (to keep the jars from breaking) is put on high heat and covered. The jars are brought to a boil and timed for 15 minutes. Then the jars are taken out and allowed to sit until the lid pops. And then they're done. Tabitha Marchbnaks, 12, told how she made her applesauce. "You have to have apples. You core them. Then you put in lemon juice to keep them from turning brown. They you drain the juice and boil them," she said. "Then you peel them," said her classmate Paige Einboden, 12. "After that you blend them" in a blender, Tabitha said. "Applesauce isn't easy to make," she said, but added that it tastes better from scratch than what is bought in stores. Micah Petellat, 13, had another suggestion to make the product better. "Applesauce is good," he said. "It tastes better warm." The idea behind the applesauce and canning lesson was to teach "a scientific process dealing with temperature, time and measurement," Wood said. "It's also a fun thing to do and a good skill to learn." Her students saw other values for the lesson. Kelley O'Rourke, 13, said it was good for her class to know how to can, "so if they ever go off on their own they won't starve." Kayla Caron, 12, contributed another reason. "We learned good manners. So when you go out and meet new people or interview for a job, you know what to do and not do anything improper." Gist, from the canning plant, explained the value of the process. "It is one of the true American traditions," she said. "Canning was brought here by the settlers." It gives people control of what they eat, she said. The best of the summer can be preserved at its highest nutrient quality. "And, you cannot compare the flavor," she said. "I can everything -- soups, beans, stews, salsas, spaghetti sauce, juices, ketchups, any tomato product." The canning plant is part of the University of Florida Cooperative Extension. "This is a community service to the public," Gist said. The Citrus County canning plant is one of only three community canning kitchens in the state. The plant is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays from May through August. Visits during the winter months require appointments. During the summer, people can come any time with their produce, ingredients and jars. Gist has recipes and said she is happy to walk people though the process. She asks ask first-timers to call and make an appointment. She can be reached at 746-4324. The steps to school-made applesauce, Citrus Springs Middle School styleWash apples. On cutting board, core and slice apples (do not peel). Place apples in acidic water (1/4 cup lemon juice per gallon of water) Drain apples using a colander. Put apples in pot, add water that is not quite to top of apples. Turn stove on high and bring to a boil. When boiling, turn down and simmer until soft enough to press through a sieve or grinder. Drain water from apples and press through a strainer or sieve. Discard skins. Bring pulp back to boil. Add sugar (if desired) to taste. Cook to desired consistency. Apple juice can be used to thin if necessary.
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Citrus Times Letters |
