Unsweetened Applesauce
This simple homemade applesauce is a delicious and healthy treat that's easy to make! You'll need just a few ingredients: fresh apples and water, with optional lemon juice or spices for extra flavor. Enjoy your applesauce warm or chilled, or use it in baking and cooking for a natural sweetness. Perfect for snacks or as a side dish, this versatile recipe is a great way to use up extra apples!
Ingredients
- 14 lbs apples
- 1/2 cup water
Optional Extras
- cinnamon
- strawberries, raspberries, other berries
- lemon juice
Instructions
Applesauce
- Wash and quarter the apples and cut out any bad spots. Add apples (peel, core, and all) to a pot and add 1/2 cup of water.
- Heat over medium high heat until the water starts to boil. Let simmer until the apples soften (about 15 minutes), stirring occasionally so the apples don't burn to the bottom.
- Using a food mill, push the softened apples through the mill to separate the seeds, skin, and scraps from the apple sauce.
- Add the applesauce back into the pot and bring back to a boil, stirring so all the water and thicker parts of applesauce will even out. This is where you would add extra ingredients like spices, lemon juice, or sugar. Once the applesauce has come to a boil, turn off the heat.
Waterbath Canning
- While the applesauce is cooking, put water in the canner and put it over medium-high heat to start heating it.
- Fill clear pint sized jars with applesauce using a funnel until there is 1/2 inch of headspace. Using a knife or canning tool, remove any air bubbles in the jars. Wipe rims with a clean wash cloth and put lids and rings on. Tighten rings to fingertip tight.
- Once all the jars are ready put them carefully in the canner. Water should be covering the jars by 2 inches. Add more water if needed. Put the top on the canner and bring the water to a boil. Once it is boiling, process the jars for 15 minutes (20 minutes for quart sized jars)
- When the timer goes off, turn the heat off and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and remove jars. Let sit for 12-24 hours and then check for proper seals. Store in a cool, dry place with the rings off.