My sister and I got together yesterday and canned our own applesauce. Yes, this is the color it turned out. This is because of the variety of apples I used. We wait for these special apples every year. They are beautiful and they make the best tasting applesauce.
Making your own applesauce is not very hard to do and if you are going to make enough for one meal/jar, you might just as well make enough to store in the cupboard. It's relatively easy to do and you will be thanking yourself in the coming months that you did!
The name of the apples that we used are Sweet Tart. They are a relatively new variety. We bought them at a local farm marker here in the valley called Spur Brothers Farms. They had drafted several kinds of apples together and came up with this rather unique variety. Last year was the first time they had them for sale.
They have a rosy, red/green skin and don't really look that remarkable from the outside.
As soon as you cut them open however, you realize that this is no ordinary apple! They are simply beautiful inside. Just look at that color! I have never seen an apple this color before. I think they are simply brilliant.
Not only are they a good tart eating apple, but they are fabulous for cooking, and they have quickly become a favorite here in our area. They are flying off the shelves in the Farm Market as quickly as they put them out. People have actually been waiting for them to come into season.
I know my sister and I were checking Spurs every week to see if they had them in yet and as soon as they did, we jumped on them. They make the most beautiful applesauce.
I started off by peeling my apples and cutting out the cores. I used a vegetable peeler, and you will be surprised at the tool I use to cut out the cores.
I us a metal measuring teaspoon. The edge of it is just sharp enough to be able to carve out those seeds, etc. beautifully.
Once peeled and cored. I also cut out the stem and root ends. I then used a sharp knife to cut them into quarters. It does take a while to do all of those apples, but I love those kinds of jobs. They are the type of mindless activity that you can just do without much effort or thought.
I think this kind of thing is called Mindfulness and it is a very good thing from what I have read.
Nothing goes to waste. My apple quarters went into my saucepan along with some acidulated water. By that I mean water to which I had added 2 TBS of fresh lemon juice. This will help keep them from browning. I only had about 2 inches of water in the bottom of the saucepan along with the lemon juice. I turned the apples over in it when I added them.
The lemon juice will also help them to preserve properly. As apples are a low acid fruit, it is recommended that you add lemon juice.
Everything else, the cores, peels, etc. went into my Lomi Kitchen Countertop Composter. There it will be turned into the perfect compost to add to my gardens.
A quantity of sugar is also needed if you are wanting to make sweetened applesauce, or if your apples are very tart. That, of course is down to personal preference. My sister did not add any to hers. You can also add spices if you want to make a spiced applesauce.
I don't like my applesauce too tart and so I added 1 TBS of sugar for every apple I used. This still made for a lovely tart applesauce. You could of course use more than that if you wished.
There was only about 2 inches of cold water in the base of the saucepan. You only want enough to keep your apples from sticking and burning. You don't want a really liquid applesauce. I like mine thick.
Bring it to the boil and then pop a lid on and reduce to a simmer. Cook at a slow simmer until the apples have all softened. Stir occasionally to make sure that they don't catch on the bottom.
Just look at that color. If you want a really smooth applesauce, you can put it through a food processor or use a stick blender to process it smooth. I like mine a bit chunky with some substance and so I beat mine with a metal whisk. You could also use a fork.
I still cannot get over the color of it. That is pure and un-edited. Just the light from over the stove shining down onto it.
Once I had it made, I popped the lid back on and ran it over to my sisters. She is the one with the water bath canner. I wanted to take it over while it was still hot. You want it to be hot when you pop it into the jars.
This is the water bath canner that my sister has. I used to have one of those, but of course all of my things got left in the U.K. I have one on my Amazon wish list and will replace it eventually, but in the meantime my sister is happy to let me use hers whenever I need to.
It is a lovely size and will can 7 jars at a time. Enamel coated with a removable rack and a lid.
We filled it halfway with water and kept the applesauce hot on the back of her stove over a slow heat with a trivet underneath it so it wouldn't catch.
You will want to make sure your jars and lids are clean and sterile. We washed both in hot soapy water, rinsed and dried, and then checked the jars to make sure there were no nicks in the rims. They were actually new jars.
The sealing part of the lids were then put into boiling water and heated thoroughly.
My sister sterilized the jars in a 250*F/121*C oven. Some people don't like sterilizing and heating their jars this way, but we have never had any issues with doing it this way. They have never cracked or broken.
We put them into a large shallow casserole dish to make it easier to take them out of the oven.
Here we are all set up to start filling the jars. You can see the hot applesauce on the left, the clean and sterile lids on the right and a clean and sterile funnel (boiling water) to help to funnel the applesauce into the jars without making a mess.
We also lined the countertop with newspaper. This is just something we have always done.
The hot jars were filled with hot applesauce, leaving about 1/2 inch of headspace at the top to allow for expansion during processing.
Once each jar was filled, and making sure that the rims were scrupulously clean, we applied the lids and screwcaps, tightening them just until no more resistance was met, increasing only to finger-tip tight. This is what is considered safe.
Once they were all filled we popped them into the rack of the canner and lowered them into the hot water. Make sure that there is at least an inch of water over the tops of your jars.
We then brought the water to the boil. This took the longest time. (Of course. That old watched-pot never boiling ditty is true. It seems to take forever! LOL)
Once the water came to a full rolling boil, the lid was popped on and we processed them for a full 20 minutes. The burner was turned off at that point and the lid was removed. We left the jars to cool for five minutes before removing to the countertop to finish cooling.
You will know they have processed properly as the lids will have sucked down. Hearing the lids ping when they suck down is such a satisfying sound to hear!
As you can see the water-bath preserved the jars perfectly. All of the lids popped down proving a good seal. If any of your jars don't seal, you can just refrigerate them and then eat them first.
Five pounds of apples gave me 8 and 3/4 half pint jars of applesauce.
I just love, LOVE the color of the applesauce these apples make! So much so that yesterday I went to the shop after we finished canning the first batch to pick up another bag. I am not sure I will make more applesauce, but I think they would make fabulous pies or cakes, etc.
Are you a fan of preserving your own foods? If so you might also enjoy the following:
CRABAPPLE JELLY - This is the most beautiful jelly. It is a lovely deep pink color and looks just like a jewel. It also have a beautiful flavor. You will need to make it now while the crabapples are fresh! A complete Tutorial.
CRANBERRY CHUTNEY - I make this pretty much every year. It is the perfect chutney to enjoy along with your Christmas meats and poultry. It also goes great on chacurterie and cheese trays. It is a lovely combination of sweet, tart and spice. This is one of my all time favorite chutneys. A most delicious conserve indeed.
Yield: 8 half-pint jarsAuthor: Marie Rayner
How to Make & Can Applesauce (Complete Tutorial)
Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 30 MThere is nothing on earth quite as tasty as homemade canned applesauce. You can make your sauce as sweet or as tart as you prefer.Ingredients
- 5 pounds (2 3/4 kg) of apples, peeled, cored, quartered and treated with 2 TBS of lemon juice to help prevent them from browning
- sugar as desired (I used 1 TBS per apple used)
- water
Instructions
- Combine acidulated apples in a large stainless-steel saucepan, along with just enough water to keep them from sticking, and the sugar.
- Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and leave to cook over low heat until the apples have all softened. This will depend on the variety of apple you have used. Mine took about 25 minutes.
- Carefully beat with a wire whisk or a fork to give you the consistency you enjoy. (I like mine a bit chunky.) Taste and adjust sugar as needed.
- Keep simmering over low heat while you prepare the jars, lids and water bath canner.
- Ladle hot applesauce into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace at the top of the jars. Remove air bubbles and wipe rims clean if dirty with a clean cloth. Center lids on jars, and apply the screw bands, tightening only until finger-tip tight.
- Place the jars into your water-bath canner, ensuring they are completely covered by at least 1 inch to 2 inches of water. Bring to the boil.
- Process for 20 minutes in boiling water for 1/2 pints or pints. Remove canner lid.
- Leave to sit for 5 minutes. Remove from the canner to a soft surface. (I use tea towels.) Leave to cool completely before storing in a cool dark and dry place.
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