You can use the jars and lids on either brand. They are all made my the same company anyway. I prefer Ball lids just because I have a better rate of sealing with them.

I have not used the food mill. I do my applesauce differently. I peel, core, slice with one of those hand crank peeler machines. Then, I puree with a little water in my Cuisinart, then cook them, adding some Fruit Fresh and sugar if I want it sweetened. No messing with hot fruit except it is hot as it goes into the jars to be processed. I know, a bit different method, but I like it.

You should not use the tomatoes for canning off dead vines. Freeze them instead.
Colorado State University:
Research has found several conditions that can reduce the acidity of tomatoes. These include decay or damage caused by bruises, cracks, blossom end rot or insects, and overripening. Tomatoes grown in the shade, ripened in shorter hours of daylight, or ripened off the vine tend to be lower in acidity than those ripened in direct sunlight on the vine. Also, tomatoes attached to dead vines at harvest are considerably less acidic than tomatoes harvested from healthy vines. Decayed and damaged tomatoes and those harvested from frost-killed or dead vines should not be home canned.

If the peppers are soft or show signs of spoilage, then do not can them.

Windfall apples :http://missourifamilies.org/features/nutritionarticles/harvesttohealth/apples.htm
University of Missouri:
Use high quality apples without any signs of decay for canning as slices, sauce and sweet spreads. Do not can "windfall apples" (fruit that has blown off the tree) because they are much more likely to contain mold spores, which can result in spoilage of the canned products.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tomatoes from dead or frostbitten vines.

There was a period of time in the 70's when I experienced a lot of failures with Kerr lids but since then can't say I've noticed any difference regardless of whether they're Kerr, Ball or Golden Harvest.

For me what makes the biggest difference is how the new jars with attached lids are packed. I find I spend a lot more time checking for dents and other "injuries."

Carol

I remember those Kerr failures, Carol. As many as 4-5 in a canner load wouldn't seal.

To this day I have a bias against Kerr. I recognize it is irrational, because, as Linda Lou says, they're all made in the same plant nowadays. Still and all, if there's any choice I don't buy Kerr. And I continually stock-up on Ball lids to make sure I have that choice.

Despite the caveats, I wouldn't hesitate to use windfall apples, particularly for sauce, butter, and other cooked products.

Ann, I can think of two factors in your yield variance.

1. The apples may have contained more water this time which cooked out to get the consistency you like.

2. If you measured your original yield with just one pound of apples, maybe you had just over 7/8 of a pint which is close to a whole pint. However, 8 * 7/8 is 7 pints, because the small deviations add up. If all the jars were filled to just about the same height as the original jar, I'd blame possibility #1, more water.

Thanks for sharing your yield. I'm about to buy bagged apples on sale & now I know about how many will make a canner load.

Also your judgment sounds right on getting all the good stuff from the peels. I use a Villaware strainer...some people re-run the pulp, but I've found that usually just jams it up for me, so I find another use for it (veg cocktail remnants = dog treats [a little at a time], berry remnants --> flavored vinegar).

Melissa

I agree with GardenLad on the windfall apples, I use them for sauce and have for years. Make that decades. Grandma used them for sauce and apple butter for decades before that. I wash them, cut out bad spots and use them.

I try not to use windfalls for apple cider, only because I don't cook the cider. I use fresh apples from my own tree and I wash them, then press them and freeze the cider.

As for Kerr, I also avoid them because of the past problems I've had with them sealing. I've gotten a few boxes of them recently when the Ball were not available and have not been able to tell a difference in my success rate for sealing with the new ones.

Annie

Annie, it makes even more sense if you use a U-Pick place, because you can usually do a deal with the owner, and get a much lower price on windfalls. Last time I did that, windfalls were 1/3 the going price.

Even better, GL, I actually have 5 apple trees, three are Red Delicious, one is Wolf River and one is MacIntosh. The Macs very seldom produce much, but the others do all right. The Wolf River tree is older than I am and the Delicious trees are about 6 or 7 years old. So, I pick up my own windfalls and I know the cattle haven't been anywhere around the trees. Still, I only use them for cooked products because of the e coli thing. I use the ones directly from the tree for cider.

Annie

OK, thanks for the answers. I am using the windfall apples in sauce and they are from my own trees, so I think we're okay there. And glad to know the lids are interchangeable - I suspected as much.

You should not use the tomatoes for canning off dead vines. Freeze them instead.
What about for salsa which has added acid?

Ann

No, not for salsa, either. No canned tomato products.
The acid level will be lower and no way to determine just how much a person would need to compensate.
Canned tomatoes have added acid, and they cannot be safely canned with tomatoes from dead vines, so the same for salsa.

Darn.

Ok, into the freezer with them. I just didn't get enough salsa made this year. Oh well.

You should not use the tomatoes for canning off dead vines. Freeze them instead....

Green tomatoes would be an exception to that, wouldn't they...considering they are much higher acid to start with than red ones?

I use windfall apples and wash them like I would a dirty dish lol I also cut a wide berth around any bruise or defect. Our McIntosh tree will drop half a bushel a day (more if windy) until I get them all picked. No way am I going to waste them! FYI, a bushel of them makes 28-30 pints applesauce.

SOS