Making Applesauce

A while back I had an unusual experience that I would like to share. A family in my neighborhood had two nice apple trees in their backyard. When I noticed the ripe crop that was literally bending the branches of their trees, I casually asked my neighbor over the fence if they were planning to pick them soon.

The lady replied, “Oh, you mean you can eat them?”

While this little conversation seems hard for some of us to believe, the simple fact is there is a lot of good food going to waste in the United States each year. This often happens simply because people are too busy or just don’t care to take the time to pick it. Apples and other fruits are often prime candidates for this waste.

A homeowner plants a fruit tree or two in his yard and perhaps he or she gathers the fruit for several years, then circumstances change and the home is sold. The new homeowner is either not aware that they have fruit trees or really just does not care. So trees go on producing fruit, feeding the neighborhood wildlife and rotting on the lawn, until either the tree finally succumbs to disease or the homeowner removes the tree to reduce the lawn mess.

What a waste.


Nowadays as prices go up and times are getting more and more unsure, people are wanting to be more self sufficient. Anyone wishing to become more self sufficient should want to make use of any fresh food source at hand, even those backyard apple trees. Learning to store and save fresh food to add to the larder saves money and just makes good sense.

Apples are easy to store in many ways, including freezing, drying and one of my favorites homemade apple sauce. This is a great recipe to make when cooking with your children or during the holidays. The smell is wonderful!

The first thing you need is some apples. Since you can make almost any amount of sauce, there is no set amount of apples that you need, but you will want several pounds of fruit. If your apples have insects or other blemishes, you will need to get extra to allow for cutting away the damaged bits of fruit. You may buy your apples at a grocery store, farmer’s market or pick them yourself off of your own (or your neighbor’s) tree If you buy your apples or pick them from a tree that has been sprayed be sure to wash them well before cooking. The best applesauce is made by blending several different kinds of apples, some tart and some sweet. It can be very fun trying out different formulas. You can, however, make very good sauce with just one kind of apple.

Now gather your equipment. You will need some bowls, a paring knife and vegetable peeler, a crock pot, a long spoon, a potato masher, some good canning jars with new lids and rings (pint size seems to work best), a large pan (like a roaster), a jar lifter, canning funnel and a deep stockpot with a rack for the bottom or a water bath canner.

The food ingredients include your apples, lemon juice, sugar, water (or possibly cider or apple juice) and cinnamon if you wish.

Now peel and cut up the apples into small pieces. Trim away any bruised parts, the core and any parts of the apple with insect damage. These trimmings can be fed to your chickens or other animals for a nutritious treat or composted for the garden.

As you cut the apples sprinkle them with a little lemon juice to keep the pieces from turning brown in your bowl. When you have all of your apples cut, place the pieces into the crock pot and turn the setting on low. Add about a half cup to cup of water, apple juice or cider to the crock pot to get things going well. Allow the apples to cook slowly stirring them occasionally until they begin to soften. When they are soft enough to come apart easily when pressed by your spoon they can be mashed with the potato masher until they begin to look saucy.

At this time taste your sauce. If you desire you can add sugar, a little at a time, to the sauce until it reaches your desired sweetness, but this is not really necessary as the sauce should be quite sweet already. Cinnamon can also be added to taste if desired. Allow the sauce to continue to cook on low until the desired consistency is reached. Your applesauce is now ready to eat or can.

If you desire to can your sauce to add to your pantry, you begin by cleaning your jars. Thoroughly wash all of your jars in hot soapy water or a dishwasher. Be sure they are well rinsed. To ensure the food will be safe to eat after it is canned, place your jars in a large pan (like a roaster) of water and boil them for several minutes. The lids for the jars should be heated in water as well, but not boiled. After the jar is boiled, use a jar lifter to lift the jar and drain out any water inside of it. Using a canning funnel add the hot sauce to the jar, filling it to within ½ inch of the jar top. This is called the head space and it allows room for the product to bubble and steam during processing. Wipe the rim of the jar and make absolutely certain that it is clean. This is where the jar seals and any food droplets will cause the jar not to seal properly. Next add the hot jar lid and ring. Tighten the lid firmly, but do not over tighten, again this is to allow excess steam to escape.

Place your jars on the rack in your water bath canner. You can use a deep stockpot, with a rack to keep the jars off of the pan bottom, if you wish. The canner or stockpot should be almost full of boiling water. Be sure that the boiling water covers the jar tops by a couple of inches after all of the jars are in the canner. Now cover the canner and bring it back to a rolling boil.

Begin timing when the boil is reached and continue to boil your pint jars 20 minutes (longer if you reside at an altitude over 3,000 feet). After your jars have been boiled for the required amount of time, turn off the canner and allow it to cool a bit, and then carefully lift out your jars with the jar lifter. Set your jars on a towel on the counter spaced slightly apart and allow them to cool. The jar lids should pop as the seal is made.

After all of the jars are completely cool, remove the jar rings and test for a tight seal by picking the jar up slightly by the edges of its lid. Any jars that did not seal should be refrigerated and used soon. Finally wipe each jar down and label with the date and product. Now your applesauce is ready to store in your pantry. Keep in mind canned goods keep best when they are stored in a cool, dark and dry place. When it is time to eat your sauce open the jar and listen for the pop and the sound of in-rushing air. Second smell your sauce. It should smell just as delicious as when it was made. You sauce is now ready to eat and enjoy.

See now wasn’t that easy!