Home-Canned Applesauce
Orchard apples simmered soft, milled smooth or left chunky, and water-bath canned — apples are naturally high-acid, making this one of the safest, most forgiving things to can.
Ingredients
one batchFrom the garden
- 9 lb apples, washed — a mix of sweet and tart varieties makes the best sauce
From the pantry
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (optional) — only if the apples are very tart — taste first
- 2 tbsp bottled lemon juice (optional) — brightens flavor and holds the color; applesauce is naturally acidic enough to can without it
Steps
tap a step to dim it as you go- Fill a boiling-water canner and bring it to a simmer. Wash 6 pint jars and keep them hot in simmering water; prepare the lids per the manufacturer's directions.
- Peel, core, and quarter the apples (or just core and quarter if you'll use a food mill — it catches the skins). Drop the pieces into a big pot with about a cup of water to keep the bottom from scorching.
- Cover and simmer over medium heat, stirring often, 15–20 minutes until the apples fall apart when pressed against the pot. Mash for chunky sauce or run through a food mill for smooth; stir in the lemon juice and taste, adding sugar only if it needs it.
- Return the sauce to a boil, stirring constantly — it sputters like lava, so use a long spoon. Ladle boiling-hot sauce into the hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace, free any air bubbles with a spatula, wipe the rims, and screw on the lids fingertip-tight.
- Process in the boiling-water bath, covered by 1–2 inches of water: pints 15 minutes, quarts 20. Altitude adjustment: add 5 minutes at 1,001–3,000 feet, 10 minutes at 3,001–6,000 feet, 15 minutes above 6,000 feet.
- Cool undisturbed 12–24 hours, check the seals, remove the bands, and label. Refrigerate any jar that didn't seal and eat it first.