If you are lucky enough to have an apple tree (or have a generous family member or friend willing to donate apples), then making your own applesauce can be a big money-saver. In the past I have been able to pick apples from my cousin's tree for free. But when she moved, I still purchased apples to turn into applesauce because the finished product is so much tastier than store-bought products.
Here is a quick and easy tutorial on how to make and can your own applesauce.
Tools Needed
- Large cooking pot
- Handheld mixer (optional)
- Apple peeler (optional)
- Water bath canner and accessories
- 7 quart jars, rings, and new lids
- 20 pounds of apples
- 2 cups sugar
Step 1: Get your pot ready
I used my biggest pot and put a little water in the bottom to keep the apples from sticking. As I peeled the apples I just started throwing them in to start cooking.
Step 2: Peel a TON of apples
I used my handy dandy apple corer/peeler which the kids thought was WAY fun to help with. If you don't have one of these peelers, you can peel them the boring way with a potato peeler. Slice them into relatively small slices to reduce cooking time.
Step 3: Cook up those apples
By the time we were done peeling all the apples the first ones were really well cooked. I just let the whole thing cook for about 10 more minutes to make sure they were all soft.
Step 4: Prepare your canner and jars
While the apples were cooking I ran my bottles in the dishwasher to sterilize them. I also filled up my canner and started to boil the water. Lastly, I started some small pots of water boiling to sterilize my lids.
Step 5: Make the applesauce!
Once the apples were all soft, I used my hand-me-down baymix hand blender to blend the applesauce to a nice consistency. You could also use a food processor or even a blender to do the pureeing. But the baymix was SO easy because I could do it straight in the pot it was cooking in. At this point you can add any seasonings you want. I added 2 cups of sugar and it turned out really sweet and delicious. If you use a sweeter variety of apples you can even use NO sugar for a healthier applesauce. Some people like to add cinnamon or other things but I prefer to just add those when we eat it.
Step 6: Pour the applesauce into jars and seal 'em up
Use a funnel as this can get really messy. I ladled the applesauce in leaving about 1/2 an inch of space at the top of the jars. Then I used my tongs to pull out a lid for each jar. Try not to touch the lids with bare hands as you don't want them to get unsterilized. Screw the ring on tight once the lid is set on top of the jar.
Step 7: Put your jars into your canner and boil
As I filled each jar I would put it into the canner. As you put more jars in the water level rises, so you don't need to start with the canner all the way full. Once I had all 7 jars in I filled up to about an inch over the jars with hot water. You have to wait until the water is boiling before you start timing. Let it boil for 20 minutes and then remove the jars. Way easy huh?
Step 8: ENJOY! (my kids sure did)
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