Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Homemade Applesauce

Here's how we make Homemade Applesauce.
You can either Freeze or Can this recipe!


First you will need to know how many apples to get. You should yield about 20 quarts or 40 pints of applesauce out of 1 bushel of apples. I used 4 bushel from the trees in my yard and my MIL bought 1 bushel of apples. So altogether we did about 5 bushel of apples and it made ALOT of applesauce!!! It also took us all day and into the evening. In fact my MIL was up until 12:30 am canning them (thanks Debbie!) . If you freeze it, it is a lot quicker.

Usually you will want to stay away from the red or green delicious and get more of a baking tart apple. We have no idea what kind of apples grow on our trees but they are red, small, and kinda tart. They make excellent pink applesauce.

Around here apples are around $13-$15. per bushel to buy. I'm sure that varies around the country but gives you a starting point.

First you need to cut the apples up. All you need to do is cut them in fourths and make sure the stem is out. No peeling or coring is necessary. Some people make sure every spot is off but I don't. It makes it much faster if you don't worry about little tiny spots on the peeling.


Next you put the apples in a pot and add water. This is the trial and error part. How much water to add??? We've found that it totally depends on the kind of apple you chose. My SIL usually adds 1 cup for a big pot. But with my apples I was adding almost 2 quarts and it was still pretty thick applesauce. Just make sure you add plenty of water so you don't scorch the apples in the bottom of the pot.

Let them boil in the pot until very soft, stirring regularly. I really don't think you can do it too long as long as you have water. I think our average was around 45 minutes per big pot maybe even up to an hour.


Next is the first piece of equipment that is really almost necessary to make bulk applesauce. I found it on Amazon here for only $60.68 I used my wonderful SIL's machine who actually even came and helped! Oh and also took these pictures since I'm forgetful and forgot my camera! Thanks so much Gen!

Okay back to the machine. You hook this on the counter and it does all the work. Okay almost! All you do is take the cooked apples (do not drain) and put them in the top holder and start cranking. The yucky guts come out the side and the pure wonderful applesauce comes down the shoot in the front. Catch it in a bowl and you're all set!!!


I then take the huge bowl full and add 1 1/2 cups of sugar, mix it up and dip it into the jars or freezer containers. You can use less or more sugar. I make it pretty sweet so I doubt you'd need more. You could also add cinnamon. I forgot mine this time so I didn't bother.

If you're freezing it, you're DONE!!!
That's it slip it into the freezer and enjoy it all winter long!!!
I usually try to put it into the fridge the day or two before I need it to allow it to totally thaw.


If you're canning it you probably already know how to do this next step. My MIL handled this part since I've really never canned before. I have always put it in my freezer but my freezer is way too full this year to put this much applesauce in.

From watching her I learned you put it in the canner with a little water. Let it go until it steams and then time it for 15 minutes. Then take it off and let it cool. Take the jars out and they should be sealed. Like I said if you're doing the canning I would go by your canner's directions or find someone who knows how. It looks like it can be very dangerous if you don't do it correctly.


In the end I yielded about 65 Quarts, 20-30 pints (forgot to count), and about 15 freezer containers! My MIL got about 50 pints. It was a full day and a lot of work but I only had about $20. invested (sugar and seals) in it since my apples were FREE!!! This makes for a lot of really cheap applesauce!!

You can also see the difference in color between my MIL's and mine. That's just the difference in apples that we used!
If you make applesauce, What kind of apple's do you use???

Please feel free to give your tips if you can or freeze applesauce
or ask a question if something didn't quite make sense!!
***
It's still apple season so there's still time!!!


For more wonderful recipes and ideas visit
Blessedwithgrace - Tuesday's
In Passionate Pursuit- Tuesday's
Grocery Cart Challenge- Friday's

19 comments:

karenmed409 said...

thanks for the photos and recipe. I haven't done apple sauce before, now you got me all excited to try it.

carrie said...

nothing is better than homemade applesauce!! i have never made it in this big a batch but we love it cooked fresh an eat it warm with our supper!!

Megan said...

That looks so yummy!

The Desperate Cook said...

Wow!!! You did make a lot of applesauce. I love homemade and so do my Grandkids...especially if I leave it chunky.

MadeInCanarias said...

Wow, that's a lot of sauce :D
I wish i had that much sauce, i love apple sauce :D

http://tite-roy-gatra2.blogspot.com/

Unknown said...

I love homemade applesauce and when my kids were small they loved it also. I haven't made some in a long time. I guess I should give myself and my grand-children a treat . THANKS!!! Geri

Staci @ Designing and Motherhood said...

I appreciate this post. I will be doing this for the first time this year. Thank you. You did a great job. Staci

Staci @ Designing and Motherhood said...

Oh and I have been looking to buy one of those contraptions so I am glad to see a referral for one on Amazon. Staci

SnoWhite said...

delicious! I remember using the press with my mom growing up. I don't have one of my own, so I do the work before hand of peeling, and coring... but man, there is nothing like homemade applesauce!!

Unknown said...

Great job! I'm inspired. And impressed:) Come share your slow cooker recipes at Crock Pot Wednesday. I would love to see you there. diningwithdebbie.blogspot.com

Lenetta said...

I canned applesauce this year using Laura's method. The canning part is a wee bit more than you describe. :>) Ideally, the water will cover the jars by an inch or two, but if you're stacking pints, this is tough. You actually want your water to come to a full rolling boil, then start timing . . . Laura recommends 25 minutes at a boil. (You can turn the heat down from high a bit once it boils - just make sure it keeps boiling!) From that post, Laura also has a link to her canning 101, and she also has a post on tomato juice and sauce.

I agree, though, homemade applesauce is the best!!!

Megan said...

Thanks Lenetta,

Just to clarify tho...

My MIL actually uses a pressure cooker to seal the jars. Hot water bath is What your link describes and is totally different. That's why it sounds easier the way we do it... although I'm pretty sure it's a lot more dangerous to use the pressure cooker since we are using pressure!! It works both ways!!

Also if you decide to can every year the 60.xx sauce machine is soooo much easier than using a blender would be. thanks for your comments!! And yes it's soooo yummy!!!

Megan @ SimplyThrifty said...

I grew up canning all sorts of fruit. Planning on doing applesauce on my own for the first time this year. My mom always used cortland apples. She thought they made the best applesauce and I did love it. I get free apples here in CO so I'll just find one that tastes good and works.

The Prudent Homemaker said...

Wow, apples are a lot cheaper there than here!

I am growing apple trees but they are not big enough to give me apples to can, so I bought apples this year.

I've never heard of anyone using their pressure canner like a steamer canner; that's intersting. I have a steamer canner, but I only use it for peaches and pears. I water-bathed my applesauce.

I really like having a blend of apples for the sauce, but that's not always possible.

I canned applesauce last fall for the first time, and then again in April when apples were .49 a pound.

Here are mine: http://theprudenthomemaker.com/thisyearscanning.aspx

This week Smith's grocery store has Gala, Golden Delicious, and Granny Smith apples for .50 a pound. I wasn't planning on canning again this week, but maybe I should!

We bought a strainer like yours last fall while we were canning applesauce, and it was wonderful! It makes it so easy!

Bargains to Bounty said...

Thanks - what perfect timing! I have bushels of apples that need to be used this weekend. And even though applesauce is a staple in our house, I've never tried making it. I'm scared of the canning process, too, worried that I'll do it wrong and make us all sick! :(

Thanks for sharing!

Davonne said...

I just made applesauce yesterday! We don't have that huge strainer thing, but I peel the apples, then I use a slicer and corer that I bought for about $3 (it takes about 5 seconds to slice and core each apple with that). I add water and sugar right away so that it can cook for awhile, and it's done! It can also be made in a crock-pot. It takes longer to finish that way, but it frees up the stove.

Anonymous said...

If you have a nice KitchenAid mixer, you can buy the fruit & veggie grinder attachment for about $60 and it works great for applesauce, tomato juice, sauce, pretty much anything!
A great way to use the KitchenAid for more than just baking cookies!
We LOVE homemade applesauce and try to do some in the spring with tart apples and in the fall with sweet! YUM!
~Alissa

Lenetta said...

Megan, I didn't realize that's what you meant - you sure were talking about a whole different ball of wax. :>) I had some of my homemade applesauce today and it was delish!

Kari said...

This looks great. I will probably freeze it since my kitchen is too small to get into canning. Thanks for sharing.

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