Making Applesauce

We eat a LOT of applesauce. Ed takes applesauce to work in his lunch nearly every day. The children can polish off almost a quart jar of applesauce in a meal. Thankfully, making applesauce is one of my favorite fall tasks. While some people make applesauce with early apples in the summer, I love to wait until a brisk fall day and fill the house with the wonderful aroma of cooking apples.

Ed offered to help me get started today. We decided to only do two bushels of apples since there were other things we wanted to get done today as well. (Like the local library's annual book sale. Can't miss that!)

We usually mix two or more different varieties of apples. I think it makes a better flavored sauce. I found that by using a half to two-thirds Golden Delicious apples, which are a sweet variety, I do not need to add any additional sugar. But using only Golden Delicious apples tends to make a bland flavored sauce. Today we used Jonagold apples along with the Golden Delicious. I had found a great deal on seconds at a local orchard. They had spots from hail damage but at the price, I could throw out a few and still have a bargain.

First we washed the apples, cut out any bad spots, and quartered the apples. We do not peel or core the apples. In the past we've cored the apples but we didn't bother today.

Add a tiny bit of water to the pan and place on medium low heat. As the apples begin to cook and get juicer, I slowly increase the heat.
When soft, we put the apples through the food mill. If you want to make a quantity of applesauce, a large food mill is a tremendous blessings. My mom found this Squeezo for me at a yard sale! You pour in the cooked apples in the top, turn the crank and out comes your applesauce with all the skins and seeds removed!

Ladle into jars.
Can for 20 minutes.

Our total for today was 29 quart - plus one quart we ate for lunch! (Warm applesauce! Mmmm!) I am hoping to do at least four, if not six, more bushels. Then I'll be done with canning for the year! Yippee!!! (Unless I make apple pie filling or can some venison.)