Homemade Applesauce

Applesauce.  Oh, the taste!  Oh, the smell!  I really only had it once or twice before getting to know Derek (or more importantly, his family).  Both Derek's grandma and mom make applesauce on a regular basis.  


Some time after we were married, Derek's mom gave me a food mill so that I could make my own applesauce.  We live far away and only eat with them a few times a year.  The occasional jar just didn't last long enough around our home!  Since then, we have been making applesauce every once in a while, and now it's the only type we use.  At first we would freeze it, but last summer I tried canning it.  And it worked!


Last summer I learned of a local Amish store where I could get LOTS of apples for a small price.  The price has gone up, but a basket (15-20 pounds) of apples last week was just $7.50.  These apples are seconds, so they  have some bruises and spots on them.  Perfect for applesauce...and the right price!


I also asked for a Kitchen Aid Fruit Strainer attachment for my birthday last year.  And my lovely husband got it for me.  (He knows how tiring the food mill can be!)  For Christmas I asked for a big bath canner.  Once again, he took care of me.  Can you tell he loves applesauce me?


Applesauce is so worth it!  To encourage you to try it yourself, I took some pictures on my snowy Saturday when I filled my house with lovely smells.


If you don't have a food mill or fruit strainer, I'm sure the blender would work just fine.  I have also heard of making individual servings in the microwave.  Just keep in mind the food mills remove the peel for you.  The blender does not.

• First find your largest pot and put an inch or less of water in it.  
• Gather up your apples.  Cut off any bad spots and slice and core them.  Place in your big pot.  Don't forget the lid!  Simmer for a long time! 

• Keep slicing and coring apples until your pots are full or you run out of room on your stove. Cook them until they look like mush.  (Silly me, different pot, but it WAS as full as the photo above.)

• Enjoy the smell of cooking apples!

• When the first pot of apples are very tender (MUSH) and the skins are falling off, it is time to put it through the food mill.
• Add sugar and cinnamon to taste, if desired.
• Eat, freeze, or can it!

(I was keeping it "real" in the photo...all sorts of stuff on my counter...always.)

All those apples (well, except the four apples that I couldn't fit in a pot) from the basket of apples I bought this time made four and a half quarts of applesauce.  I canned it, but you can freeze it too.

It is certainly worth the time and effort.   I'm sure there are lots of ways to make applesauce, but this is how I do it.  If you make your own, let me know and tell me what you do differently.

Now that was a good snow day!