Homemade Applesauce

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No sugar added. We love this and make 2 quarts every week or so, with apple seconds we get cheap at the market.  We eat it too fast to can it, so we just keep the jars in the fridge.  But you could water-bath process it for shelf storage.

Apples
Water
Lemon Juice (fresh or bottled)
Directions
1. Peel, core, and quarter a lot of apples of mixed variety.  Put them in a heavy pan with a lid, like a Dutch oven or heavy sauce pan.  Put in about a half-cup to a cup of water, depending how many apples you have.  You want a thin layer of water on the bottom of the pan, to keep the apples from sticking and scorching.
2. Cover the pan tightly and heat the apples on med-low, for at least half an hour, maybe longer, stirring occasionally.   You want them to steam until they are soft and falling apart.
3. Now comes the texture decision.  We like very smooth apple sauce, so we mash ours with a masher, then puree it right in the pot with an immersion blender.  You could mash it with a spoon, or a potato masher, or puree it in a food processor or blender.
4. Add a splash of lemon juice and stir it in well.  Pour into clean refrigerator containers.  I like quart Mason jars, which I fill with hot water before emptying and filling with hot applesauce.
 
Notes:
I usually peel about 10-12 pounds of apples, which fills a large cast aluminum Dutch oven, and makes about 2 quarts of applesauce.  But you could make a much smaller amount with only a few apples, a splash of water, and a dash of lemon juice.




Matriarchy

Member since Sep 2007

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