Table Scraps - Homemade Applesauce

Criss cross applesauce.

That's what I think of now when I think of applesauce. I had never heard that term until Caleb started school, and apparently it refers to the way they are supposed to sit on the floor for various school activities. I'm pretty sure it is the same as the term sitting "Indian style" which we used when I was in school about 100 years ago. I suppose that term was deemed politically incorrect at some point along the line or something, so now it is criss cross applesauce. Whatever.

Anyway, Chloe and I made applesauce today. We do this every fall. We head up to Huber's Orchard with my mom and we each buy two giant bags of Jonathan utility apples. They are the best apples to use for freezing applesauce in my opinion. They are actually a very versatile apple and good for many other uses too.Making your own applesauce is super easy if you have the right tools, but it can be time consuming if you don't have help. It took me a good two hours today to finish one batch, which was two large kettles full of sliced apples. I ended up with 16 cups of applesauce in that batch.

All you have to do is wash your apples. Core and slice them. Do NOT peel your apples. keeping the peel on gives your applesauce a gorgeous pink color. I have a habit of only picking the prettiest, reddest apples out of the bag when I'm making applesauce just so it will be prettier. I save the ugly apples for apple butter. It turns brown anyway.

Put your sliced apples in a large pot, and add 1/4 cup of water to keep the apples from sticking to the bottom and burning. No one likes charred applesauce. Cover the pot and start cooking over medium heat. Stir frequently, and turn the heat down as the apples start cooking. Cook them until they are very mushy.If you are serious about canning and freezing, I highly recommend the Norpro Sauce Master. This thing seriously cuts my canning time in half and keeps my arms from falling off using a foley strainer. They are usually around $50 at farm stores, like Rural King. I've seen them on sale for as low as $37, so if you can snag one at that price, it is well worth it. You can also get different screens for it to use for berries, pumpkin, salsa, etc. Not only do I use it for applesauce, but also for tomato juice and all of my freezer jams. It removes all of the peel/seeds from your fruit, and there is very little waste. I am always amazed at how much pulp I get when I use this thing. It is worth its weight in gold around here.

Once your apples are cooked down and mushy, dump them into the strainer, and start cranking the handle. This is the part that the kids like to do. Look at that gorgeous pink apple goodness! Add sugar to taste. I think I put about 3/4 of a cup in this batch. We don't like it super sweet. Let it sit for a few minutes, and put into freezer containers, label, and freeze for up to 1 year.

I still have a bag and a half of apples left, so next up will be apple butter! Yum!

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