Applesauce is a smooth or chunky apple puree made from peeled (or unpeeled) apples, commonly spiced and sweetened with sugar or honey and served with roast meat. Applesauce can be used as a butter alternative for many baked goods and is delicious eaten straight from the jar, perhaps with some yoghurt and granola or used as a base for apple crumble. This recipe can be used for all apples – sweet, juicy and crunchy apples make the best applesauce - and you can add tart apples to sweet apples if you like. Applesauce is cheap to buy from the supermarket, however homemade applesauce tastes so much better, avoids artificial ingredients, has low food miles and takes advantage of apple harvesting time – buying apples in bulk means this is one of the lowest-priced items we preserve at home for our family, and is one of the first home bottled food I made for my children when they began eating solid food.
Ingredients for
APPLESAUCE
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1 Litre (1
quart) batch
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4.5L (9
pint) batch
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7 Litre
(7 quart) batch
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Apples
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1.3kg (3
pounds)
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6.1kg (13 1/2
pounds)
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9.5kg (21
pounds)
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Water
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1/2 cup
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2 1/4 cups
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3 1/2 cups
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Sugar (Optional)
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1/8 cup
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1/2 cup
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3/4 cup
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Bottled Lemon Juice
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1 teaspoon
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4 teaspoons
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7 teaspoons
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*Plus
water and a squeeze of lemon juice for soaking prepared fruit
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METHOD:
1. Weigh fruit to determine the bottling
yield.
2. Sterilise all equipment by washing in hot
soapy water and rinsing well before use.
3. Wash, peel (optional) and core apples. Dice
apples finely.
4. Place apples into acidified water (water
with a squeeze of lemon juice added) to prevent browning. Repeat washing,
peeling, coring, dicing and soaking with the remaining fruit.
5. Prepare jars by boiling in a pot of water
for 10 minutes before filling.
6. Soak lids in hot water (not on heat) for at
least 5 minutes before use.
7. Drain soaked apples and place into a large
pot with water. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer until soft (5-20
minutes).
8. Mash all or part of the cooked apples, puree
with an immersion blender, or press through a sieve or food mill.
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| Food Mill |
10. Add bottled lemon juice and mix well.
11. Pack hot jars with the hot applesauce to 1cm
(1/2 inch) from the rim of each jar.
12. Using a non-metal utensil, remove any
bubbles and add extra applesauce if required.
13. Wipe rims to remove any food residue.
14. Add warm lids and twist to secure.
15. Place sealed jars into a pot of boiling
water and boil for the processing time stated below. Start the timer once the
water comes to a full boil.
16. Turn off the heat source once the time is
up. Remove jars from hot water after 5 more minutes. Cool jars overnight on a
wood or fabric surface. Do not adjust lids during this time.
17. The next day, check jars have sealed
before labelling and dating.
18. Store jars in a cool, dark and dry
place for up to 12 months.
19. Refrigerate jars upon opening and consume
contents within 2-3 days.
20. Dehydrate apple peels to make apple powder;
or boil them just covered with water to make a mild apple juice (which can be
used to make apple jelly with the addition of JamSetta or pectin and sugar).
FLAVOUR IDEAS:
Replace part of the apples with another type
of fruit, or add a pinch of spice or a spoonful of juice (or liqueur) to a
500ml (pint) jar of applesauce, process according to the recipe and taste when
opening to check flavouring. Make in larger batches as desired.
- Apple Cider
- Apple Juice
- Apricots
- Brandy
- Brown Sugar
- Brown Sugar + Cinnamon
- Brown Sugar + Bourbon
- Cinnamon
- Cinnamon + Nutmeg
- Cloves
- Ginger
- Ginger + Lemon
- Honey
- Honey + Ginger
- Honey + Lemon Thyme
- Lemon Juice
- Lemon Thyme
- Lemon Zest
- Maple Syrup
- Nutmeg
- Rum
- Sherry
- Vanilla
Processing Time
for APPLESAUCE in a Boiling Water
Bath
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Jar
Size
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Altitude
≤ 1,000 feet
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Altitude
1,001 - 3,000 feet
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Altitude
3,001 - 6,000 feet
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Altitude
≥ 6,000 feet
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Hot Pack
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≤ 500ml
(pints)
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15 minutes
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20 minutes
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20 minutes
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25 minutes
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≤ 1 Litre
(quarts)
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20 minutes
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25 minutes
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30 minutes
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35 minutes
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Processing Time
for APPLESAUCE in a Dial Gauge
Pressure Canner
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Jar Size
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Processing Time
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Canner Pressure
at Altitude
≤ 2,000 feet
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Canner Pressure
at Altitude
2,001 - 4,000 feet
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Canner Pressure
at Altitude
4,001 - 6,000 feet
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Canner Pressure
at Altitude
6,001 - 8,000 feet
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Hot Pack
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≤ 500ml
(pints)
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8 minutes
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6 PSI
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7 PSI
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8 PSI
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9 PSI
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≤ 1 Litre
(quarts)
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10 minutes
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6 PSI
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7 PSI
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8 PSI
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9 PSI
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Processing Time
for APPLESAUCE in a Weighted Gauge
Pressure Canner
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Jar Size
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Processing Time
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Canner Pressure
at Altitude ≤ 1,000 feet
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Canner Pressure
at Altitude ≥ 1,000 feet
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Hot Pack
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≤ 500ml
(pints)
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8 minutes
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5 PSI
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10 PSI
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≤ 1 Litre
(quarts)
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10 minutes
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5 PSI
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10 PSI
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| Pork Chops with No-Added-Sugar Applesauce and Steamed Greens |