Applesauce

Home made applesauce is a gourmet treat. It gets its flavor primarily from the type of apples you select. Most people simply use apples from the tree in their yard. If, however, you are purchasing your apples, a blending of a variety of different apples is possible and will give you a great taste.

Plan on using 2.5 - 3.5 pounds of apples for each quart of applesauce you desire to make. 

Step 1 - Wash the Apples

Wash the apples in warm water, by filling  the clean sink with water and filling it with apples. Each apple will then be rubbed by hand to remove any residue, dirt, or spray. 

Step 2 - Peel the Apples

After washing the apples, use a peeler or a paring knife to peel the apple. The peeler will only take about 10 seconds to peel an apple. After peeling the apples, put them into some cool, slightly salted water to prevent unwanted brown coloring of the apples. Cut the apples into chunks with a large knife, rinse them, and transfer them to your largest cooking pot.

Step 3 - Steam the Apples

Put the apple chunks into your largest pot and put it on the stove with some water in the bottom of the pot. Don't add too much water. As the pot boils, the steam will render the apples soft. You need to the stir the pot often so it doesn't burn on the bottom. We use a long wooden spoon and try to lift up the bottom of the pot to the top and push the hard apples on the top to the bottom. We will add more water as needed to keep the sauce as thick as we wish. When the steam has rendered the apples soft, take the pot off of the stove to begin processing the steamed apples in the next step.

Step 4 - Mash or Sieve the Apples

If you want a real smooth applesauce, use a siever to mash evenly the applesauce. You will need to fill up the siever with the steamed apples and use a wooden roller to roll it back and forth to get the apples into a smooth sauce.  I prefer the old-time chunky applesauce. I simply use a potato masher to coarsely crush the apples after they are cooked.  

Step 5 - Season or Sweeten, if desired

After you have sieved the batch of applesauce, you can place the sauce in the jars as is or add spices or sweetener. Spiced applesauce is made by adding ground cinnamon, nutmeg and/or allspice to the sauce. Spicing the sauce can improve a batch made from apples with poor flavor. Sugar or Splenda is optional and added only for flavor. 

Step 6 - Fill the Jars

Once again, bring the applesauce to a boil, stirring to prevent scorching. It is important that the sauce be reheated to boiling to prevent mold from growing inside the jars during storage. Ladle hot sauce into clean jars, leaving 1/2" headspace.

Step 7 - Water Bath

Remove air bubbles and process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes for pints and 20 minutes for quarts.

During storage, applesauce often separates to thick pulpy layers and thin watery layers. This is a physical change and not related to safety. Stir the sauce before serving to recombine the sauce.