Home-Canned Applesauce

From 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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Cool undisturbed 12–24 hours, check the seals, remove the bands, and label. Refrigerate any jar that didn't seal and eat it first.