Applesauce

First, my apologies for so severely neglecting this blog for the last few months.  It has been a busy time for our family!  We learned that we will be adding a little sister to our family in January and, as with my previous pregnancy, I struggled with hyperemesis gravidarum.  I didn't cook much for a few months and didn't have energy for extra projects so there wasn't a lot to be blogging about.  The good news is I am feeling better now and am able to do more so I'm back!

The time of year I make and can a lot of applesauce.  We eat it throughout the year and especially with a new baby coming I want to have it on hand for her first foods.  I typically aim for 15-20 quarts of applesauce and make three varieties: plain, cinnamon, and blueberry.

I've been asked about what kind of apples I use, and the answer isn't really definitive.  For this batch I used Cortland, Macintosh, and Empire, but I have used other kinds and I'm not terribly picky about it.  What is important is to use a variety of apples in your applesauce so I aim for at least three varieties.  The different varieties balance each other well and give the finished product a great flavor.

We went apple picking as a family last night and had a great time!  We went to an orchard that is chemical free.  This means that the trees have not been sprayed with agents that would normally make the apples bigger and blemish-free.  The apples we picked were a little on the smaller side and had some blemishes but for making applesauce it makes no difference how the apples look.

We picked 20lbs of apples.  This is the amount I typically like to work with because it maxes out my stove burners, pots and pans, and my sink.  Any more and I'd have to split it up into smaller batches.  These directions can be adapted to any size batch since the only ingredient is apples!

First, wash the apples.  I put them in the sink with cold water and a splash of vinegar.  I agitate the water with my hands and inspect the apples for any that need a little extra cleaning.

Next I use an apple sectioning tool to cut and core the apples.  If you don't have one a knife works fine but will take you a little longer.

The cores get tossed and the sections (skin and all!) go in a pot on the stove with about 2 inches of water in the bottom.  20 lbs of apples fills both of my 8 quart pots.

Cover the pots and cook on med-low for 60-90 minutes, stirring occasionally.  It's hard to determine an exact time and my two pots finished at different times (could be my old stove!) so it is better to watch what the apples look like than to watch the clock.

This is what they look like when they're ready for the next step.  The texture is similar to oatmeal and any remaining chunks of apple are soft and break up with a spoon.

I use a fruit grinder and strainer attachment on my mixer for the next step but I have also done it with a hand crank food mill.  The food mill is definitely slower so I wouldn't recommend it for batches this large.

This attachment (and a food mill) purées the apples and separates out any seeds and the skins.  It is really easy!  The applesauce comes out one spout (into the metal bowl) and the waste drops out another into the red bowl.

If you are freezing or eating your applesauce fresh, you're done!  If you are canning your applesauce you have a few more steps.  You can choose to stop here (and I sometimes do) and pick up the next day.  Just cover the applesauce and refrigerate until you're ready to can.  When you are ready to can the applesauce just heat it back up on the stove.  I process quarts for 20 minutes in a water bath canner.

20lbs of apples yielded about 9 quarts of applesauce.  I had a little extra that wouldn't fill a jar so we just finished that off with our dinner tonight.  I've been told that these will keep up to 3 years but they never last that long in our house!

Cost comparison:

My grocery store sells large containers of plain generic applesauce for $1.73/quart.  Our apples were an extremely reasonable $.50/lb making our cost about $1.10/quart.  When you compare our applesauce to the organic generic applesauce at $3.46/quart you really see the savings!  Theirs is three times the price as homemade!  Chemical free is not the same as organic, but for me it is fairly comparable.  Homemade applesauce saves us a lot of money and tastes so much better than store bought. 

Variations:

Blueberry - add 2 cups of blueberries to 10lbs of apples before cooking.  Running the mixture through the strainer will also remove the blueberry skins.

Cinnamon - after straining, return applesauce to the stove and add cinnamon to taste, about 2 tablespoons per 10 pounds.  Cook the applesauce on low for about 15 minutes.

Enjoy!