how to make homemade applesauce

We have been making applesauce this morning, so I thought I’d show you how we do it. We got the apples from my sister-in-law Kristine -- it makes most sense if you can get them for free. If you notice a tree full of apples that don’t seem to be getting much attention, ask the owner about picking some. You never know-- they may appreciate the help getting them off the trees. Golden Delicious, Fuji, and McIntosh make great applesauce.

Here we go:

Cut the apples up,

Simmer the apples until soft, usually about 10-15 minutes.

Then, we use the Victorio Food Strainer-- you put the cooked apples in the top, crank the handle and the applesauce comes down through the screen. It makes it sooo much easier because you don't have to peel them or make them perfect. Did you know you can also make crock pot applesauce?

The “guts” (peels, skins, seeds, etc.) as my kids call them, come out of the side. They took these and made a haunted house with neighbor kids and had them feel them in the dark -- they really are quite creepy.

You’ll have beautiful, naturally sweet applesauce

that you can eat right away or ladle into jars to enjoy for month/years to come. Some people like to season theirs  with cinnamon, cloves, brown sugar, etc. but Kristine gave me a great tip to just leave it natural and to season it when you serve, because not everyone loves those flavors.

To keep them for long-term use, place them in a water bath and once the water comes to a rolling boil, let them go for about 20-30minutes, depending on your altitude. For more complete water bath instructions, see here.

and then let them cool overnight. In the morning, press on the tops and make sure they are tight and don't move up or down.

It seems like a long process and IT IS, but if you have access to free apples, your family eats a lot of it, and it tastes SO good, why not?

Happy canning ~