This post was originally published last November. However, we’re heading into applesauce season again, so I’ve updated it to include an organized recipe and am re-posting it now, for all of you who didn’t see if the first time around.
To me, applesauce is the quintessential fall food. I have fond memories of wandering the antique apple orchard at the Bybee-Howell House on Sauvie Island (a mostly agricultural island outside of Portland), really bundled up in scarves and layers for the first time of season, picking up windfall apples* with my mom and sister. Often, we’d bring our dog with us, and she’d run between the trees, tossing apples up in the air with her nose and then chasing after them.
We’d come home with grocery bags full of bruised, but still edible fruit. My mom would cover counter tops with newspaper and we’d begin to peel. When the fruit was all de-skinned, cored and chopped, it would go into her biggest soup pot with a splash of orange juice, cinnamon and grated nutmeg until it had cooked down into a homey sauce.
These days, I still make a yearly batch of applesauce, but I do it a little differently than we used to. I’ve learned over the years to not spend a whole lot of time peeling or chopping my apples. Instead, I cut the apples into quarters and remove the core (of course, if you have windfall fruit, you do have to invest the time in cutting away the bruises and bad spots). The quarters go into the pot with half a cup of apple cider to simmer. As they cook down, the skins will separate from the flesh of the fruit and you can just use a pair of tongs to fish them out.
I like slightly chunky, unsweetened applesauce, seasoned with lots of cinnamon, nutmeg and a dash of cloves (depending on how I’m feeling, sometimes I’ll also add a bit of allspice or powdered ginger), so once the skins are removed and the apples are smashable with the back of a wooden spoon, I’m done. However, if you like a smoother product, feel free to puree or run through a food mill (at this point, you could also go in a different direction and cook it down further, for apple butter).
When it comes to adding sugar, fans of unsweetened applesauce can rejoice, as you are able to can applesauce without any additional sugar. If you want to increase the level of sweetness, you can add approximately 1/8 cup of sugar per quart. I sometimes add a bit of honey if I find the applesauce to be a little too tart. It’s important to taste your sauce before you can it, in order to balance out the sweet/tart flavors. If it’s too sweet, a bit of lemon juice will always brighten the flavors.
To process, bring your applesauce to a boil and pack into clean, hot jars, leaving a half inch of headspace. Remove the air bubbles, wipe the rims and apply lids. Process in a boiling water bath for 15 (pints) or 20 (quarts) minutes. Store in a cool, dark place and enjoy homemade applesauce all year long.
*The Bybee-Howell house used to be a historic site open to the public. They had a Wintering In event each fall that included hand pressed cider and so asked visitors to only pick the windfall apples, as they were saving the ones on the trees for the pressing. However, they lost their funding, the house is no longer open and the Wintering In event doesn’t happen anymore. So it may be that people are allowed to pick the apples. I don’t know for sure.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds apples
- ½ cup apple cider or water
- 2 pieces star anise
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- sugar
Instructions
- Quarter apples. Put them in a large, non-reactive pot. Add liquid and star anise (if using), put on lid and bring to a simmer. Let fruit cook for approximately 15-20 minutes, until the fruit has broken down. Use tongs to fish out apple skins.
- Remove star anise. Using a potato masher or immersion blender, break down the fruit until it has reached your desired consistency. Add cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Taste and add sugar if you feel it is necessary.
- Pour applesauce into your prepared jars. Wipe rims, apply lids and screw on rings. Process in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes for half pints and pints, 20 minutes for quarts.
- When time has elapsed, remove jars from canner and let them cool on a towel-lined countertop.
- To store, remove rings and keep in a cool, dark place. Applesauce will keep in storage up to one year.
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Indeed. Coming from California, I never really experienced a real apple orchard, or for that matter, a real fall until coming to the East coast. I like walking up and down the aisles of trees just watching people with their little nets collecting fruit. It all seems a little surreal somehow. Ann’s made two batches of applesauce already this fall, using our slow cooker. This is nice, we’ve had that thing for three or four years, and its only now that I feel like we’ve discovered something it does well.
I live in S.C. and I get apples from local farmers all the time from my CSA. In fact there are apple orchards in Juliann, it’s what their known for. Californian’s can grow just about anything don’t you think?
I, too, leave on the skins, but then I use a wand mixer to puree the sauce when it’s done and puree the peel in with it. That way, we also get the nutrition there. It means I get a smooth applesauce and not a chunky one, tho. I may try a chunky one for variety
I’ve been making applesauce as well. Next year I’m thinking of making batches with different kinds of apples and doing a taste test of sorts to find out which kind we like best. Last year I used golden delicious and it was quite tasty. I’ve heard honeycrisp is wonderful for sauce.
Hi Marisa!
I just clicked through to your blog for the first time from twitter, (@kellyhunt5) what a fabulous blog you have going. Finding decent canning sites is always a challenge, I have added you to google reader and will now be regularly stalking your recipes!
I never seem to have enough apples to justify canning the sauce–we always eat all of it! But I did do a wonderful batch recently of apple-pear butter with fruit from my grandmother’s trees (well, the pears were all windfall winter pears, but still) of which I still have some left. As for the peels, I absolutely love the color they impart to the sauce, don’t you?
It’s so nice to see a thoughtful post on something basic. I learned some new things. Apples rule.
I just made my annual applesauce (and some apple butter) this past weekend.
Like you, I just core and quarter the apples and leave the peels on. Try eating the seeds (fresh) – they’re remarkably delicious.
I don’t pick out the skins, I use and old-fashioned Chinois food mill (like this: http://www.spoilthecook.com/bosch/Villaware-Chinois-Food-Mill.html). The applesauce is pushed through the mill, and the skins (and whole spices like cloves or allspice berries) are caught in the mill – just pull out the skins before they cause a total blockage. It’s so easy!
The seeds of apples contain a glycoside called amygdalin that can cause cyanide poisoning – I don’t think it is wise to eat them at all!
Just wondering if anyone else has ever baked apples for sauce? I have done this for years in my large turkey roaster. I wash, quarter, remove any bruised or bug areas (I only core enough to remove the seeds due to my processing method)throw them in the roaster & cover. Usually the water from washing is enough unless they are a really dry variety of apple. Bake on 350 degrees until desired softness – I have a huge roaster, so takes about 1 or 1 1/2 hours depending on variety of apple. The sauce is browner than when done on top of the stove – has a full rich flavor. I then put them through the Squeezo or food mill which removes all the rest of the core, but most of the peel is soft enough to go through & you get all the wonderful fiber & nutrition from them. It does make really thick sauce (you could thin it at this point with some cider if you wish), so occasionally have a few jars that ‘blurp’ over the edge & don’t seal. I usually just put those in a container & freeze. My family will not eat any other kind of sauce as they find it ‘tasteless’ in comparison. I don’t need as much, if any sweetener with this method either – seems to bring out natural sweetness.
Here’s a link that will actually work:
http://www.spoilthecook.com/bosch/Villaware-Chinois-Food-Mill.html
Ted, if you think a slow cooker is good for applesauce, consider using it for a batch of apple butter. Works wonders!
Leanne, I’ve tried leaving the skins in and pureeing the sauce smooth, but I find that you get teeny, tiny bits of apple skin all throughout the sauce, which I don’t enjoy at all. However, if could be that my immersion blender just isn’t very powerful.
Chiot’s Run, I always have the intention to do such things, but never actually manage to make things happen. I feel like I’m doing pretty well if I am able to make applesauce at all.
Kelly, thank you!
Andrea, I do love the color that apple peels lend to sauce. So rosy!
Julia, glad you liked the post and that you learned something new!
Steph, I have one of those, and it’s never occurred to me to use it for applesauce! Thanks!
Marisa,
Every time I can (rather than freeze) applesauce, I leave the 1/2-inch headspace and remove air bubbles, but it comes out of the canner with the sauce expanded to the top and some bubbles incorporated into the sauce. It hasn’t seemed to affect quality or shelf-stability (I always check carefully on opening) but it seems a little odd. Any thoughts?
Thanks!
I put up about 200# of apples each year and we like the early varieties best – akane, liberty, gingergold, lodi, transparent, king. The white fleshed apples make the prettiest an most rounded sauces. I use my roma so I don’t have to do anything but wash them. I lightly steam them and then run through the mill. The liberty & akane turn pink which is fun for the kids. No chopping, peeling, cutting seeds, etc. It’s amazingly fast to make large quantities of sauce to can that way!
I spent two days last week making apple sauce and apple butter from a big bunch of apples from my sister’s tree. Apple butter is a definite comfort food from my childhood. I even posted a blog entry about it! Beautiful pictures! Thanks.
Apple sauce and butter are on my list. Thanks for the site. Love it.
Indeed! Aple sauce, pear sauce and quince sauce are all things to make from the fall fruit. Although quince sauce requires some sugar (not for safety but for taste). It’s also fun to mix them. Quince really brings a wonderful spicy floral aroma to apple sauce.
The fruit can be cooked on the stove, steamed, in the oven, it does not matter: they just need to be soft enough to go through the food mill.
Thanks for reminding us all of the “simple” pleasures.
We did 80 lbs of apples this year, all honeycrisps from the Portland Nursery. I hack them into chunks, peels and cores and all, and count on the foodmill to separate out the seeds and skins. As long as the holes are small enough, it works pretty well. I think you also get a slightly larger yield since you’re not losing any flesh in the peeling and coring — we ended up with about 2 cups sauce for each pound of apples.
This is the first year we made applesauce and I leave the peels on as well and run it through my food processor. We used a variety of apples and every batch is different. We froze some and canned some and I did not notice any difference when we defrosted it. Delicious. We also cooked them overnight in the crock pot. What a nice smell to wake up to:)
In the Netherlands, apple sauce accompanies bowls of french fries, especially for the children! So yes, ketchup, mayo and applesauce
There is nothing like homemade applesauce! It’s so easy to make, and almost any apples will do. Back at my parents house in the country, we would always collect the apples on the trees in our backyard. While the apples weren’t typically good for eating, they made great applesauce!
I had a similar experience to Jed, however, my sauce seeped out of the top of the jar after I removed it from the water bath. We ended up transferring the whole batch to freezer containers and haven’t gotten up the courage to try another project. I’m new at canning and don’t want to be discouraged so quickly! Does anyone have any ideas about what happened? We tried to remove as much air as we could. Not enough headspace maybe?
Jed and Marisa, it is totally normal to have some siphoning (the technical canning word for when some of the contents of the jars seeps out during processing) with applesauce. However, if the jars seal post-processing, they are still safe and shelf-stable. You should make sure that you leave 1/2 to 3/4 an inch of headspace, as it will help prevent the siphoning.
[...] paper shopping bag, to absorb the excess grease. Eat with sour cream and applesauce (preferably homemade). We ate ours as part of a dinner that included steamed broccoli (local), roasted brussels sprouts [...]
Hello, sorry for commenting in an old post. I live in Brazil, and I can’t find apple cider here (I don’t live in a big city, maybe it’s possible to find it in São Paulo). Is it possible to replace it with unsweetened apple juice?
Thanks.
I just ran across your site, Marisa. Its quite informative and has inspired me to “put up” as my grandmother would say, some tomatoes from the huge amount we have been blessed with this year. I will do applesause as well. Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing!!!
Yikes! Intentionally eating apple seeds is probably not a good idea, due to the presence of a small amount of cyanide.
You don’t provide the actual quantity of apples you used with 1/2 c. apple cider.
I had a really big pot of apples (McIntosh & Cortland) and 1/2 c. cider didn’t seem to be enough; I started to see a little bit of burning on the bottom despite regular stirring.
I added more cider and then some water (we just picked the apples today so I figured their flavor was great and a little water would be okay). Probably used 1-1/2-2 c. of liquid altogether. There wasn’t as much burning as I had first feared when I scraped up little brown bits from the bottom but I think it needed the extra liquid.
Our family likes to add seasonings to their own taste so I just made pure 100% apples. I left the skins in and pureed it in batches in the food processor. Looks beautiful, tastes great. A giant pot of apples cooked down to 4 quarts and 1 pint.
@BarbChamberlain
Hi Marissa,
Love your blog. I think I have a love of canning because of your blog
Just wondering if you could post the exact recipe for the applesauce (with measurements and all) as I would love to can this. Sounds delish.
Thanks again.
I thought “windfall apples” meant they were free for the taking and therefore a windfall for you, until I read your note! I’ve always left the apple slices unpeeled since the skins get separated by the food mill, but next time I’ll try using bigger unpeeled apple chunks and fishing the skins out as you do. I imagine the milling would be easier that way.
I quarter and core my apples and then dump them into my mega huge turkey roaster with a little apple juice (or water, or cider)and put them in the oven to roast until tender. Then I run them through the food mill. Roasting them seems to concentrate the natural sweetness no matter what type of apple, no sweetener needed, and the apples seem to take on a deeper flavor. Last year’s batch with Romes and Staymens was especially good. I’ve got a crate of Rambos waiting to be done up and we’re going for more Staymens and Romes at the end of the month.
I did applesauce this morning. My Grandma is the one who taught me how and we peeled and cored and sliced. This morning I did not peel or core, just cut the apples into quarters. Once they were nice and sqishy I ran the whole pot through my new food mill. Could not be easier.
So many paths to the sauce! This is a lovely post, and I’ve enjoyed all the comments, too. Because I have twenty pounds to process, I’m very intrigued by Rebecca’s roasting pan. I put everything through a food mill, too. This year, I’m adding some lingonberries (low-bush cranberries) to the mix. Tart and pink!
You know, I think I need to get a new food mill. Everyone always talks about putting things through theirs, and I think they must be crazy, because mine is such a pain in the butt. But, it is about 40 years old, so maybe food mill technology has improved in recent years.
My food mill is my new best friend. I was telling my sister about putting grapes (for syrup) through a food mill and I asked her if she had one. She said “no, but I have an apple sauce mill.” She was surprised to learn that they were the same thing. When we were growing up, the only thing it was used for was apple sauce (and it took for ever!). I love my food mill. Everyone should have one, but make sure it has those hooks to latch onto the edge of the pot!
Gravensteins are the best for applesauce. Followed by Macintosh and Winesaps and Pippins. Spartans are also good. If you have a pole apple tree, Northpole is the best. Winterbanana also works well. Grannysmiths always require some sugar in my experience. I think the more complex flavored and tart apples work better than dessert apples like Fuji.
I have not canned a lot, why can you water bath these and not have to pressure can them? I thought things had to be very acidic or sweet?
Terry, applesauce is VERY acidic, so it’s perfect safe to water bath can.
[...] Homemade Applesauce | Food in Jars However, if could be that my immersion blender just isn't very powerful. Chiot's Run, I always have the intention to do such things, but never actually manage to make things happen. I feel like I'm doing pretty well if I am able to make . [...]
Our favorite family applesauce now is one htat is made with apples and concord grapes. I can actually get dual usage out of the grapes, first I cook them and strain the juice for jelly, then the remaining bits and skins go into the applesauce pot. The result is a wonderful grape flavored sauce, my whole family loves.
Applesauce is the very first thing I ever put up when I was 23 and just a baby-preservationist.
Where I live (southwest Colorado) there;s an apple tree on every block (or ten) and people don’t seem to know what to do with all that sweet gold, so my husband, children and I scurry around like squirrels gathering and picking and processing. We never remove or strain out the skins – so much nutrition there.
Thanks for all your recipes! I tried the tomato preserves, which I substituted applesauce for some of the sugar and actually turned the whole thing into a pleasing ketchup.
It’s a great recipe, and I would like to try it, but you don’t specify how many pints/quarts you get from this recipe – is this an oversight, or does it vary depending on what kind of apples are used (and how big,for that matter) and how much sugar is added?
It was an oversight. When you make the recipe as written, you’ll get approximately 4 1/2 pints. I did not specify the amount of sugar because sweetening applesauce is a matter of taste. You actually don’t need to add any sugar to keep it safe.
I’ve hinted strongly to my family that I’d like a food mill for birthday or Christmas.
If you add sugar, can this still be safely canned?
Sugar or no sugar, applesauce is safe for canning.
Hi all! I have an OXO food mill, and it works great. Use it for applesauce and to make jellied cranberry sauce (so far); I think it cost about $50. I just made applesauce with Jonathan apples and it was a beautiful pink color…
Arggg…I need to buy a kitchen scale! Any guess on about how many cups of apple quarters 4 pounds is?
Oooh, another question – I have 60 pounds of apples from a local apple farm that does controlled spraying (really hard to grow 100% pesticide-free fruit in this part of the country.) Is peeling the apples the best way to go if you don’t have organic fruit? I have a food mill and would love to not bother peeling the apples. Am obviously gonna scrub them up, but just throught I’d ask…
Robin, I have no idea how many cups 4 pounds will be. The thing with applesauce is that quantities don’t really matter, you can make as much or as little as you want.
If you’re uncertain about whether the fruit was sprayed, it’s perfectly okay to peel. I imagine it would help control the chemical load, but honestly, it’s just a guess.
I do small batches of applesauce all fall long, from the time peach season ends, until November or so. I put the whole peel and all through the food mill then sweeten with a little brown sugar. It kind of gives a carmelly tast to the sauce. Tastes awesome in the middle of winter.
I recently moved to a property with a couple of old apple trees. I have no idea what type they are. This year, only one is flush with apples, and I did a small test (cut up one apple) to see if they would cook down quickly (I’ve used unknown apples before that I cooked for more than an hour and they had still not fallen apart – not all apples work well for apple sauce). Thankfully, they broke down quickly, but are not terribly juicy and started to burn, even in a thick bottomed pot with some water in the bottom. So know your apples, and adjust the amout of liquid needed accordingly. You can always cook it back off if its too runny. If I’m adding sugar, I use brown for the extra flavor. Great post.
My boyfriend and I just made 20 quarts of applesauce, with apple cider in the fridge, and I never thought to sub the cider for the water I added to the apples when cooking them. Next time, I will have to do that. I’m sure it really intensifies the apple flavor. Thanks for the tip. I usually only add cinnamon to my sauce, but I might try some of those other traditional fall spices as well.
Now here’s what I really need an answer to, and you’re just the person to ask, how do you get the bubbles out of your jars of applesauce?
I’d like to know that about the air, too. I’ve done two types of applesauce over the past two days, and both times had a lot of trouble getting air out. Then I ended up with lots of applesauce seeping out–I figured it was the air pushing it up. I re-did the water bath twice. Then just figured if it doesn’t open it when I use Marisa’s test of the seal (lift it by the lid) it should be fine. I’ll find out soon enough!
I put up 24 quarts of applesauce this weekend. I used to always use the food mill method because I like my sauce a bit chunky (and I am lazy and don’t want to peel or core my apples) but this year I went even easier. I purchased the food grinder attachment for my KitchenAid mixer as well as the fruit/vegetable strainer. I can honestly say that I took an entire bushel of apples, and after cooking a bit, had them ground to applesauce in under 30 minutes. The biggest chunk of time was the adding to jars and processing. Looks like we will be loving smooth applesauce from now on!
[...] you don’t have and don’t want to get a food mill, Marisa McClellan of Food In Jars suggests another method: quarter the apples, remove and discard the cores, and cook the apple [...]