You definitely know that fall has arrived when you start to see trees full of apples. This year the road side apples are plentiful and my friend Corrie and I took full advantage of it! In less than half an hour we left with our bushel baskets almost completely full.
While we have added fruit trees to our homestead, it will be many years before these trees are producing. So at this point I am still sourcing my apples by other means… farms, U-pick places or in this year’s case, right from the side of the road.
Applesauce is a staple for us as it’s amazing as a snack (for at home or school lunches), in oatmeal and with potato pancakes or waffles. This year I made two types of applesauce and I will share those recipes with you today. The first was a peach applesauce and man oh man is it tasty. Please note, that if you want to substitute blueberries, cranberries, currants or raspberries, you can just substitute them. You may want to tweak your spices in that case, but I will leave that up to you!
Also if you also enjoy apple butter, be sure to check out my slow cooker apple butter recipe here.
The Apples
First and foremost you are going to need to source apples. Roadside apples are awesome, but they tend to be a bit sour. I added just a touch of honey to my applesauce prior to canning (so important to taste your food before you can a dozen jars). If you want to avoid adding a sweetener to your applesauce, I suggest that you choose varieties that are naturally sweet themselves like golden delicious, gala, honey crisp, jonagold or fuji. I tend to stay away from honey crisp and gala due to expense (we save those apples for eating), but many folks use them yearly.
If you are going foraging for roadside apples like I did, ensure you are getting them from a clean spot. Avoid farms that grow commercial crops as it is likely they are using sprays, chemicals and pesticides (this may not be the cause, but it’s best to err on the side of caution). Please also watch for fence lines and avoid harvesting directly on someone’s property. Most folks don’t take too kindly to other people stealing their food.
If you plan on making a lot of applesauce and other apple canning recipes in the future, it is well worth the investment into an apple Corer, Slicer and Peeler. It will save you so much time.
The Recipes
The first recipe I will share is my peach ginger applesauce. As I mentioned above, you can substitute other types of fruit in this recipe with no problems, as long as you keep the proportions the same. For example, for every 4 pounds of apples I used 2 cups of peaches. If you would like to use blueberries you will have 4 pounds of apples to 2 cups of blueberries. I would also tweak the spices a bit, but I will leave that experimentation to you.
A Note About Canning
You do not need to can this applesauce. It will store perfectly well for a few weeks in the fridge. It also stores well in the freezer for up to a year. If you do decide to can your applesauce, please ensure that you are following correct canning procedures. Do not skip any of these steps (especially the actual water bath canning) and if you suspect any of your jars to be compromised, please pop them in the fridge right away or throw them away (if they have been on your counter for the whole 24 hour period). Your safety and family’s health is not worth the risk.
- 4 pounds apples (cored, sliced and peeled) I weigh out 5 pounds of apples to compensate for the peels and cores
- 2 cups sliced peaches frozen or fresh
- 1/2 cup apple cider, apple juice or water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice bottled
- 2 tsp dried ginger add more or less to taste
- Slice, peel and core your apples. If you plan on making a lot of apple products in your future, it is well worth your while to purchase a corer, slicer, peeler! See my notes above for the link.
- Place all of your ingredients into a pot on the stove and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat and simmer for approximately 45-60 minutes. Stirring every 10-15 minutes being careful not to burn your applesauce.
- Once thoroughly cooked, use an immersion blender or food processor to blend your applesauce to your desired consistency.
- If you plan on canning your applesauce please see the notes below and keep your applesauce HOT. If not, you can place it in jars and store in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. This applesauce also freezes well and will store for up to a year.
Spiced Applesauce
Peaches aren’t your thing? No worries as all, I’ve got you covered. If you would just like to make a spiced applesauce simply omit the peaches and use the following spices for every 4 pounds of apples:
- 1 tbsp of pumpkin pie spice or
- 1-1/2 tsp of cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp of all spice
- 1/2 tsp of ginger
Similarly if you wish to just make plain applesauce, simply omit all spices.
How to Can Your Applesauce
While your applesauce is cooking, you can prepare your jars and lids. Please ensure that you use NEW lids each time. Jars and rings can be reused as long as they are in good working order. As of 2015, the Nation Center for Home Food Preservation revised the sterilization rules for canning. Since this applesauce will be in the canner for more than 10 minutes, the process of sterilizing your jars (boiling them for 10+ minutes) is no longer necessary! Canners worldwide rejoice!! If you don’t believe me, you can check out the new rules here.
- Wash your jars and lids in hot and soapy water. Right before I’m about to fill my jars I pour boiling water over them. This helps the glass to adjust to the hot food that is about to be put into them.
- Fill your jars leaving 1/2″ headspace.
- Using a nonreactive utensil (we like chopsticks), stir around your applesauce ensuring that all air bubbles have been removed.
- Wipe the rim of your jar well with a clean cloth and place the canning lid on it. Tighten the ring finger tip tight. Do not over tighten.
- Process your jars for 15 minutes in a water bath canner (if you live at a higher altitude you will have to adjust your canning times accordingly)
- Here is a handy chart to help you with that.
- Store your jars on the counter for 24 hours.
- Check your lids after about an hour to ensure they have sealed property. When you push on them they should be firm and not pop.
- If you have experienced a seal failure, you can now proceed to put your applesauce in the fridge. If it’s just fine, leave it on the counter to complete the 24 hour waiting period.
- After 24 hours remove your rings, wash your jars and label them with the contents and date it was canned.
- Always store your canned goods at room temperature with the lids off.
If you enjoy watching videos you can check out my YouTube video on how to can and make applesauce.
Thanks for reading and enjoy your healthy and delicious homemade applesauce.
P.S. Please pin for future reference and to share the apple love 😉
