How to Can Apples!

Applesauce is one of many children's favorite fruit snacks. While children love this delicious snack, many adults love to eat it too. Commercial applesauce is full of preservatives and sugar and often lacks in flavor. You can make your own home made applesauce easily and the natural way. Follow these directions to fill your tummy and the tummy's of your children with nutritious applesauce!

First you need to choose the correct apples for applesauce making. Some great apple varieties to use for applesauce include Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji and Red Delicious. Any sweet variety will work great for applesauce. The sweeter the apple, the less sweetener you will have to add to get a great taste. Look for fresh apples with few blemishes.

As far as apple quantities go you will likely want to make a large batch if you are planning to can the applesauce. If you are putting forth all the effort, you may as well make it worth it and cook a large batch. You can figure you will get approximately 12 quarts of applesauce from each bushel of apples you use. I suggest buying the apples straight from the orchard, not from a super store or grocery store. These apples from the orchard taste so much better, and are so much fresher.

It works best to use a mixture of apples to create the best tasting applesauce. A combination of Golden Delicious, Fuji and Gala apples will make a delicious apple sauce.

Be sure you prepare all your canning materials by washing them in hot soapy water. Sterilize the jars, lids and bands as instructed on the packages.

Then it is time to begin preparing the apples. Wash the apples well to remove as many chemicals as you can. Then chop and core the apples. This is done the easiest by using a apple corer that sections the apple as well. You can leave the skins on if you plan to grind the apples, or peel them if you are going to make applesauce with apple slices.

Then you will need to cook the apples. Place about 1 inch of water into a large boiling pot. Then add the apples and boil the apples while covered. Boil them until they are soft all the way through.

You will then want to grind the apples. You can do this with a special applesauce grinder. Some mixers have an attachment that you can use to mash the apples. You can also mash them by hand with a potato masher. Mash them to the consistency you desire. You can also blend them in the blender. If you do not have an apple grinder and are mashing them manually you will want to peel the apples first.

Then you will want to return the ground apples to a sauce pot for seasoning. You do not need to add anything, but a little cinnamon will bring a delicious taste to your applesauce. Check for sweetness, if you feel you need some sugar, add it now and stir until it is dissolved.

Then the applesauce is ready for canning. Fill the jars while leaving ¼ inch space on the top. Wipe the rim clean and place the lid on the jar. Then tighten the band just till you feel resistance. Place them in the canner and cover the jars with at least one inch of boiling water. In a hot water canner, you will need to process the pint size jars for 15 minutes, and quarts for 20 minutes. Keep the water at a boil for the entire processing time.

Remove the jars and allow them to cool overnight. You can then check the seals and place them into your storage pantry! The applesauce will be waiting for you to enjoy whenever you please!