Applesauce Adventure!

We have two apple trees on our property and, for some reason, we had never made applesauce.  So, what better time than now?!  In any case, you will find that there isn't a ton of rhyme or reason to our method, but we were semi-guided by a book called Canning for a New Generation, given our motto of bringing back the once lost arts of preservation.

The Method:

Now, our book told us a number of desirable apples for a sugar free applesauce, but we kind of made a hodge-podge of what was available at the local supermarket.  In our recipe, we used a combination of Ambrosia, Fuji and Gala.  It really turned out well, given our shortcomings.

 

While preparing our apples, we simmer our lids, gaskets and jars in hot water so as to sterilize them and assist with the canning process.

First of all, we don't have an apple peeler. So, we used a traditional carrot peeler to de-skin our apples. This is a bit time intensive and we encourage anyone that makes applesauce on a regular basis to invest in an actual apple peeler or food mill that separates the peel from the apple. Now, the actual recipe called for six pounds of apples while we only had three pounds on hand.  In any case, once peeling was complete, we put them in a water / lemon mixture so as to discourage browning. We used about 3 tablespoons lemon juice to 1/2 - 3/4 pot water (again, not scientific, but it worked).

Once our peels were removed, we used a corer / divider combo to cut our apples into more manageable pieces.

Finally, we chopped them into 1/2 - 1 inch pieces to assure proper cooking.  Before you say anything, we later realized there are easier ways to get about the same result.  :)

Then, we added about 1 1/2 cups of water and placed them on the stove top and allowed to rise to a boil.  This doesn't seem like a lot of water, but the natural juices of the apple are extracted pretty quickly.

Once the apples are properly cooked (about 30 minutes per instructions and with adequate stirring), you are left with a golden hue to your prepared apples.

Then, you can add them to the food processor and grind to desired texture.  We have a five month old starting on whole foods.  So, we went a bit finer than we may have normally.

Once you have properly distributed the contents into jars, assembled the lids and processed them in a water bath canner (approximately fifteen minutes after rolling boil), you have quite an aesthetic product.  Our little guy is eating them like candy!

The Verdict:

Well, there were a couple of issues with this adventure.  Due to lack of kitchen equipment and familiarity with the process, it was quite time consuming.  Also, we overestimated the amount of applesauce that comes from three pounds of apples (two pints).  Lastly, we apparently did not stir as much as necessary because slight burning occurred at the bottom of the pan.  Regardless, we got lucky and came out with a delicious applesauce.  You can add sugar, cinnamon, etc. based on your unique taste, but this one fit the purpose for us.

Have a way that you can help us out with our applesauce making process?  Let us know in the comments.

Until then....

 

Keep Calm

 

and

 

Can On