Homemade Applesauce

Last week, some friends of ours who own an apple orchard gave us a huge box of apples. I immediately thought, "Homemade applesauce!" But as thankful as I was for the free food, I was not looking forward to peeling and slicing all those apples by hand.

That is, until Ian reminded me that we could use our Pampered Chef apple peeler/ corer/slicer. How could I have forgotten about that??

So we got it out, attached it to the counter, and got busy. It took 3 days (2 hours each day) to do all the apples. But the children had a blast cranking the "apple machine".  :)  Each one had to have a go at it...

I love the way the "machine" slices the apples....

After the apples were peeled,cored, and sliced, we put them into the pot  to simmer for about an hour. I added a little bit of sugar. And to 2 of the batches, I added some cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves..and did it ever smell good!  :)

Then, I put the hot apples into jars, adjusted lids and rings, then processed them in a hot water bath.
And here's the finished product..

A total of 10 quarts. I'm sure it will taste good on a cold winter day.  :)




Here are the specifics of the recipe that I used:

Wash, stem, peel, and slice apples.
Cook until soft in a covered saucepot with just enough water to prevent sticking.
Add sugar/spices to taste.
Use a big wooden spoon to mash the apples as desired. (I left ours a little chunky.)
Put apples in clean, hot jars, leaving 1/2-in. headspace.
Remove air bubbles.
Adjust caps and rings.
Process in hot water bath for 20 minutes.

"Keep my commandments and live,
And keep my law as the apple of your eye." ~ Proverbs 7:2 


Have wonderful Monday, friends!

The Modest Mom
Deep Roots at Home