Black Friday: That is what AOL said is happening today. I am not going to pretend I understand it or even how it is going to effect my family but what I do know is that the Lord started prompting me last February to begin a garden I was terrified to start and to start stocking up on our normal meager food supply.

In my home, I used to just have a small pantry of food items. Really no more than 2-3 weeks worth of food. Over the summer I created three new food storage areas in my home. The first was an unused closet that I installed shelving in, the second was a tall shelf in my basement and the third was a large, new deep chest freezer I keep in the basement. All of my pantry's are full (although I would like to add more) and my freezer is on its way.

Another thing I have done for several years is make and freeze food to save prep time in my home. I just don't have the time to cook from scratch everyday. Well, with the way things are going, I believe it is a good idea to have as much stock as possible, and freezer food is a great way to save time and money.

I don't make all my freezer meals in one day, but I do make a lot over several days time. I am going to share with you a few of the items I am currently stocking my freezer & pantry's with in the next few posts so check back often.

Yesterday my family and I drove way out to an apple orchard and bought about 60 lbs of apples. We bought seconds which allowed me to buy at an excellent price. One 10lb bag of apples was only $3 each!!! These apples are beautiful, healthy apples. It is just their skins that are a little rough looking. Here is what I have made so far.

Yesterday my husband and I made applesauce. We washed the apples, then sliced them into quarters. We then put them in a huge pot I own with about 1/4 full of water. We boiled the apples, stirring occasionally. Once they had broken down we put them through my mother-in-laws antique food mill. Using this, I didn't have to peel or core the apples, but if you didn't have one, you could just peel and core them and then use a potato masher or whatever you have on hand. 

After that, I added sugar and cinnamon until I liked the taste of it. We then labled 12 gallon size freezer bags and ladled the apple sauce in. Once cool, stack the sauce on a tray or other flat surface and freeze. Once they are frozen solid you can stack them sideways to save space in your freezer.  

Today I made apple pie filling. I am sure I have enough for atleast 10 pies if not more. Here is the recipe I used: (I slightly altered it based on reviewers advice)

Apple Pie Filling

Submitted by: Terri Rated: 5 out of 5 by 80 members

Yields: 40 servings

18 cups thinly sliced apples 3 tablespoons lemon juice 4 1/2 cups white sugar 1 cup cornstarch

2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 5 cups water

1.	In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice and set aside. Pour water into a Dutch oven over medium heat. Combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Add to water, stir well, and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
2.	Add apples and return to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until apples are tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.
3.	Ladle into 5 freezer containers, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Cool at room temperature no longer than 1 1/2 hours.
4.	Seal and freeze. Can be stored for up to 12 months.

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Printed from Allrecipes.com 10/10/2008

Coming up: Homemade Sloppy Joes, Chicken Lentil Chili, Pantry Mixes and MORE!!!