That canning applesauce is wickedly easy?
Last year I made applesauce and froze it for future use. I loved pulling applesauce out of the freezer from time to time. I was going to do the same this year, but by golly if our freezer isn’t getting a bit snug! What a great problem to have! I had decided that applesauce might not be in the cards this year, but I’ll tell you, those apples need to be dealt with! My sister in law asked if I had a recipe for canning applesauce, and when I actually typed it up for her, I was shocked. The only difference between the applesauce I froze and the one in the jar is that I needed to process it in my boiling water canner for 20 minutes. I can so do that!
And I did! I cooked up two large pots of applesauce. I started by peeling and chopping apples, which did take a while, but that was okay with me. Then I plopped them in a pot with about 1/2 cup of water to keep them from sticking to the bottom and I cooked away. I covered the pot, stirred from time to time, and in about 20 minutes I had melting apples. I used my immersion blender to whiz away the chunks, and then I tasted to see about adding sugar. I honestly didn’t think it needed a drop, so the next step was to ladle the hot sauce into my hot jars, and then I added 2 teaspoons of bottled lemon juice to each jar, specifically to help retain color. Apples can be canned without the extra acid, but I was hoping to prevent the sauce from browning any further. The lids went on, the jars were boiled, and 20 minutes later I had 7 quarts of hot sugar free applesauce cooling on the counter. For a little bit of work, I was rewarded with seven jars of applesauce goodness that we will be enjoying all winter long. The best part is that I still have a ton of apples (I swear, they’re multiplying!) so I’ll be doing it at least one more time since I have the jars on hand.
Applesauce from the Ball Blue Book
Wash apples; drain. Core, peel and quarter apples. Cook apples until soft in a large covered saucepot with just enough water to prevent sticking. Puree using a food processor or food mill. Return apple pulp to the saucepot. Add 1/4 cup sugar per pound of apples or to taste, if desired.
Bring applesauce to a boil (212ºF), stirring to prevent sticking. Maintain temperature at aboil while filling jars. ladle hot sauce into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headpsace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps. Process pints and quarts 20 minutes in a boiling water canner.
Variation: Spiced applesauce can be made by adding ground spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice, to the sauce during the last 5 minutes of cooking. For a chunky sauce, coarsely crush half of the cooked apples; process remaining apples through a food processor or food mill. Combine crushed and sauced apple mixture; continue as for applesauce.
Do the sniff test before eating. Because of the low sugar they can start to ferment, which does not taste good.
Oh yes, I always do the sniff test with home-canned goods. One time I had an entire batch of jam grow green fuzzies on top, and ever since then I’ve been extra cautious.