Grease 8 WIDE-MOUTH pint canning jars with melted shortening. Use a brush and avoid getting grease on the jar rims. Cream shortening and sugar. Beat in eggs and applesauce. Sift together the dry ingredients and blend them into the applesauce mixture. Add the raisins and nuts and divide the batter evenly between 8 widemouth pint jars. The jars will be more than half full. Bake open jars about 60 minutes in an oven at 325 degrees. When done, quickly remove one hot jar at a time and clean its sealing edge. Immediately apply and firmly tighten a two-piece wide-mouth canning lid.

The lid will form a vacuum seal as the jar cools. Jars of cooled bread may be stored on the pantry shelf with other canned foods or may be placed in a freezer. The bread is safe to eat as long as jars remain vacuum sealed and free of mold growth.

NOTE: The lady who contributed this recipe to the magazine noted that she had some of this cake that is one year old and is still delicious. I have personally made this and have several jars that are still good over 5 months later. I plan to save one jar from my original batch and see how long it will keep. (Nancy)

SOURCE: Countryside and Small Stock Journal, Vol. 77, #1, Jan/Feb, 1993