If you are fortunate enough to have an apple (or pear) tree it is worth the time to make up your own great “organic” apple sauce. We were given a box of large green, chemical free apples of unknown name from a very old tree. They were blemish and bug free! The apples were not as tart as Granny Smith and made up into a thick, mild sauce and definitely no sugar required. Absolutely delicious!
Apple Sauce Ingredients
- 12 large green apples (which is about 8 – 10 cups of quartered, cored and peeled apples)
- One Cup filtered water
- ½ of the juice of an organic lemon
- These amounts made up 6 x one cup jars
Directions
- Quarter, core and peel apples (keep them in cold water with a little lemon juice so they won’t go too brown)
- Put apples, lemon juice and liquid into pot and bring to boil
- Put lid on pot and simmer about 20 minutes (or until apples are soft)
- When cooked, blend apples with potato masher if needed and ladle sauce into jars
- Clean top of jars before putting on lids and rings
- While holding jar (with gloves) tap the bottom of jar to remove air bubbles
- Process in a boiling water bath: 15 minutes for pints (or smaller) and 20 minutes for quarts OR
- Process in your pressure canner. The Presto I used was at 5 pounds pressure with 8 minutes for the pin size jars
- Remove from water and let cool 24 hours, label and date, before storing
Optional Sauce
… is the same as above but after cooking add:
- One Teaspoon cinnamon
- One Teaspoon nutmeg
Uses
Some of the multitude of uses for canned applesauce are :
- Substitute for oil, margarine when baking i.e. if recipe calls for half a cup of oil use 1/4 cup applesauce and 1/4 cup of oil
- Of course, tastes great just as it is or mixed with other fruits and vegetables for children
- Use as a topping for breakfast cereal in the morning or as a snack with yoghurt
- A sweet sauce to serve with roast dinner
- And what would life be without good old Apple pie or tarts
- A great food hamper gift for Christmas
There are many different versions of applesauce – this one is truly simple. Happy harvesting!
Notes
- Apple cider vinegar can be substituted for water depending on your end use
- If using apple sauce in low-fat baking make the plain (no spices) version above
- Near the end of cooking stir the apples often to prevent sticking or burning and add a little more water if necessary
- No sugar was added during cooking but can be added as per recipe or taste when jars are used
- One pound of apples is about 3 – 4 medium apples and makes just over one cup of sauce
- I tried cooking cored, quartered apples, leaving the skin on and removing it after the sauce was cooked, but found this did not save time; your choice
- Jars of applesauce stored in a cool, dark place should keep for up to a year
- Apple peels and cores can be recycled to the chickens, pigs or compost!
- In our Canadian Fall look for wild apple trees in your area and always accept offers of organic fruit from neighbours
Links and References
- Quick applesauce for baby
- Try growing an apple or pear tree espalier style for your own fresh fruit
- Use your homegrown pears to make no fat Pear mincemeat
- Low fat Pear mincemeat muffins are an easy treat to make
