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<\/figure><\/div>We are blessed with a glorious apple harvest from our trees this year. I am trying to keep up and preserve all the apples that I can. I have canned spiced apple jelly<\/a>, apple slices<\/a>, and apple juice<\/a> for our food storage shelves. I have also dehydrated apples<\/a> and made cinnamon apple chips<\/a>. However, the trees are not finished yet, and we are still picking several baskets full every day. <\/p> The quickest and easiest way to process a lot of apples is to make applesauce. This is also a good way to use up those imperfect apples too. Just cut away the bad spots before processing.<\/p> Unlike many canning recipes, apples do not need additional ingredients to make them safe for canning. Freshly harvested apples are high in acid and have enough natural sugar to preserve well when canned using a boiling-water canner. Here are tips for making applesauce:<\/p> Any apple variety can be used to make applesauce, including Cortland, Macintosh, and Rome. If you use apples that are naturally sweet, you won’t need to add sugar at all. If you prefer a tart applesauce, combine some tart with sweet apples.<\/p> Since there are so many regional varieties, you may not see your type on the list. If you are picking apples from a local orchard, ask which apples are best for the kind of applesauce you want to achieve.<\/p> Over mature, slightly soft, or minimally damaged apples are perfect for making applesauce since you will be removing the peels and cooking the fruit to a pulp. You can cut off bad areas as long as the rest of the fruit is good.<\/p> Don’t preserve apples that are rotten, badly damaged, or infested with worms or bugs. Additionally, avoid any that have been resting on the ground for a longer than a day, or partially eaten by deer or other wildlife. Windfall apples are likely to contain bacteria and mold spores.<\/p> <\/p> There are many different ways to prepare your apples for applesauce. The way you decide to make a batch depends on the tools you have on hand.<\/p> You can add dried spices, such as allspice, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, or nutmeg. Lemon juice brightens the flavor of the apples and helps maintain the color. Add any flavorings during the last 5 minutes of cooking.<\/p> You can also sweeten if desired with sugar or honey. Taste the applesauce after you puree it to decide if it needs some sweetening. Add a little at a time and keep in mind that applesauce tends to taste sweeter once it cools.<\/p> One of the most frustrating issues I have had when canning applesauce is siphoning. This is when the contents of the jar expand and boil out of the jar when processing in a water bath canner.<\/p> Not only do you end up losing some applesauce, but it also makes a sticky mess in your canner. More importantly, it could prevent your jars from sealing if food gets stuck between the rim of the jar and the canning seal.<\/p> Some siphoning is ok if the jars were correctly processed and sealed. Here are some tips to reduce the chances of siphoning:<\/p> Before you begin, it may be helpful to review this article on water bath canning<\/a> at the National Center for Home Food Preservation website.<\/p> This applesauce recipe for canning is from the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning<\/em><\/a>. A more detailed and printable recipe can be found at the bottom of this article, but these are the general steps for making and canning homemade applesauce:<\/p>\n You’ll need:<\/strong><\/p> Weigh the apples, and rinse well under running water. If you are using a food strainer or food mill to puree the apples, you can cook the apples with the skins, and the strainer will filter them out. Peel your apples before cooking if you are using another method to blend the applesauce. The peelings may harbor bacteria, so it needs to be removed before canning. You can use the peelings and cores to make apple scrap vinegar<\/a>.<\/p> Cut out the cores, trim off bad spots, cut into chunks, and place the prepared apples into your large pot. Add just enough water to the pot to prevent sticking, and cook the apples until they are soft. Let the cooked apples cool slightly before pureeing.<\/p>Helpful Tips for Making Applesauce<\/h2>
Types of Apples<\/h3>
![\"close](\"https:\/\/growagoodlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/apples-in-basket1.jpg\" "\\"close")
<\/figure><\/div>Ways to Puree the Apples<\/h3>
Flavoring Applesauce<\/h3>
How to Avoid Siphoning<\/h3>
Steps for Making and Canning Applesauce<\/h2>
Step 1: Gather your kitchen equipment<\/h3>
Step 2: Prepare your apples<\/h3>