Apple compote is a tasty and healthy vitamin drink that can be consumed freshly brewed or stored in jars for the winter. Apple compote, prepared without sugar, has a pleasant taste and is good for health. Sugar is added to it to taste immediately before use. You can drink compote unsweetened, and also use it to make marmalade, liqueurs and other dishes.
Features of preparing apple compote without sugar for the winter
If you plan to preserve the compote for the winter, you should prepare the container in advance. Only in well-sterilized containers will the drink be stored for a long time without fermentation or spoilage.
If the compote is prepared for consumption freshly brewed, there are no strict requirements for the quality of the container, and the process of preparing the drink is not so labor-intensive.
Required Products
To prepare the drink you will need:
- apples - 300 g;
- water - 1.5 l.
Apples can be of any variety, but the compote will turn out richer and tastier if you use late-autumn varieties with dense pulp - Antonovka, Saffron, Korichnevka.
Selection and preparation of ingredients
Apples for compote must be clean, without signs of disease or rotting, and not affected by insect pests. The skin must be thoroughly washed and the stalks removed. Spoiled areas should be cut to clean pulp.
Washed and dried apples are cut into slices. The core is removed. If the skin is thin and soft, it is left on the fruit.
It is better to cut off thick and tough skin.
How to prepare containers
To prepare compote, use glass jars with a volume of 1, 2 or 3 liters. They must first be inspected for cracks, chips and other defects. Cans with defects cannot be used.
After inspection, the containers are washed with soap and soda under hot running water, and then rinsed. Place a pan of water on the fire. A metal grid is placed on top of it (you can use a sieve). Place the jars upside down on the wire rack. The steam rising from boiling water sterilizes the containers. Sterilization time is 15 minutes.
Sterilized jars are removed from the wire rack and placed neck down on a clean cloth.The lids are boiled for 10-15 minutes in water immediately before rolling up the jars.
Glass lids can be sterilized along with jars over steam, and iron clamps can be boiled before rolling.
How to make apple compote without sugar
Place the apples cut into slices into a saucepan, add cold water and place over medium heat. After boiling, the compote is stirred and removed from the heat. The drink is infused for 20 minutes. After this, it becomes ready for use.
To prepare canned food for the winter, sliced apples must first be soaked in a salt solution. To prepare it, take 1 tsp. salt per 1 liter of water. The fruits are left in the solution for 5-7 minutes, after which they are removed and immersed in boiling water.
Blanch the apples for 7-15 minutes until they are soft.
The water should almost reach a boil, but not boil. Then the fruits are transferred to cold water.
The cooled apples are placed in pre-sterilized jars, filling them up to the shoulders or 2/3 full. Boiling water is poured into containers in small portions, filling them so that the water level is 2 fingers below the top of the jar. Instead of water, you can use apple juice, previously squeezed from some of the prepared apples and heated to 90-95 ° C.
Then the containers are covered with sterilized lids and placed in a pan of water. The water level should reach the hangers of the cans. Containers are sterilized at a gentle, uniform boil. Sterilization time after boiling water for liter jars is 10-12 minutes, for 2 liter jars - 15-18 minutes, for 3 liter jars - 20-25 minutes.
After this time, the lids of the jars are immediately rolled up. Containers with compote are turned upside down and cooled at room temperature for 24 hours, and then stored.
Storage of workpieces
For fresh consumption, compote should be stored in the refrigerator. Jars that have been sealed for the winter can be stored at room temperature, but it is best to place them in a cool, dark place, protected from direct sunlight. A cellar or refrigerator is well suited for these purposes.
