Homemade Applesauce

One of the best things about fall besides the leaves changing and the cooler weather is the abundance of orchard fresh apples. We have gotten apples from several sources lately, including the farmers market, and decided to make enough applesauce for the next few months using my recipe I posted here. It was a fun day of coring, cooking and canning, and the house smelled wonderful! In the end we made about five gallons total, or 20 quart size canning jars.

First, even though the apples were not sprayed with pesticides, I soaked them in a sink full of water with 1/2 cup of white vinegar added to clean off any dirt, pesticides, etc.

Soaking the apples in vinegar water

After we soaked the apples, we rinsed them well and dried them on the table while we played outside. (It took a while to soak all 50 pounds!)

Drying the Apples

Then came the time consuming part, cutting all the apples…. though I did have four little hands to help. I left the skins on because we blend the applesauce after cooking it, and it adds fiber and great texture. For those who don’t like skin, peel away, but I didn’t have the patience to peel that many apples! The fastest way I found to cut them was to cut into quarters, then cut at an angle to cut the seeds out of each piece and then cut each quarter in half.

Cutting the Apples

After we cut them, we threw the apples into the cooking pans. I had two large stainless steel pots on the stove and a crock pot on the counter and filled them all up twice.

Cooking Apples-The Best Air Freshener Ever!

Once in the cooking pans, I added 1-2 cups of water, several tablespoons of cinnamon to taste and about half a teaspoon of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) for nutrition and color.

The only other ingredients besides fresh apples... no preservatives or chemicals here!

I brought the apples to a semi-boil and then lowered to medium heat and simmered for a couple of hours until the apples started breaking down.

After the apples have cooked a couple of hours...

At this point, I blended the apples using a hand blender (not a hand mixer, you need something with blades). You can also use a regular blender, just cook the apples a little bit first.

Blending the Apples

I blended until smooth, and brought the apples back up to a boil. While the apples were heating back up, I sterilized the canning jars, and kept the lids in hot water until ready to use. I then spooned the applesauce into the jars leaving 1/4 inch at the top, wiped the rim with a towel and put the lids on.

I canned according to the instructions on my canner (5 lbs of pressure for 10 minutes).