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How to make applesauce

Some of you who have been reading my blogs from the very beginning(alllll the way back in March of this year! lol) will recognize this post, which was originally published on my food-wasting blog. I was making some applesauce today and remembered this post, so I thought I’d republish it here.

I’m guessing that a lot of you out there in blog world end up with random apple slices at your house the way we do at ours. It seems like when I cut an apple up for lunch or dinner, we never eat exactly the number that I cut. Sometimes I save them to eat later, but leftover apple slices are never very appealing since they turn an unappetizing shade of brown. So, sometimes I’ll start a Leftover Apple Slice Bowl in the fridge and when it gets full, I use the apples to make applesauce. This is also a good thing to do with apples that have lost their crunch or with apples that have random bad spots or bruises.

Since this isn’t a very exact recipe, you can easily adjust it to accommodate the number of apples you happen to have.

Homemade Applesauce

Core and peel the apples and place them in a saucepan or pot.

The peels can be composted or you can feed them to your children if, like mine, they’re anxious to eat them.

Add about 1/2 inch of water to the pot, cover, and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Turn heat to low and simmer for about an hour, or until the apples look like this:

and are very soft. Keep an eye on them to make sure that all the water hasn’t boiled out(in that case, you’d end up with burnt apples and a very messy pot. Ask me how I know.). Remove the cinnamon stick and, using a slotted spoon, remove apples to a bowl. For chunky applesauce, mash by hand, using a potato masher. For a smoother applesauce, pour the apples into a food processor and process them until they are the desired consistency, adding liquid from the pot as needed.

The finished product should look something like the above picture, and it will be delicious. Even with no sugar added, homemade applesauce is SO much tastier than store-bought applesauce. And it’s a far better alternative to throwing the unwanted apples away.

By the way, the liquid from the pot is usually quite sweet and tastes sort of like apple juice, so I save mine to give to my younger two at breakfast.

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Ashley

Wednesday 7th of June 2017

So I've been devouring your blog for the past week. Love it! How long do you let apple slices collect in the fridge before they go bad? How long does it take to collect enough leftover apple slices?

Kristen

Thursday 8th of June 2017

That all depends on how many apples you have. I generally don't slice them until I'm ready to use them...they keep better if you leave them whole!

Patti

Friday 12th of October 2012

No need to peel, in my humble opinion. The colander that I use traps every bit of the peel which I thinking may harbor some sort of extra nutrition. I do core, however, because I wouldn't want to find any black seed splinters in my sauce. Not peeling would also be a time saver. Just weighing in.....

Kristen

Friday 12th of October 2012

Yep-when I am able to borrow my mom's colander, I don't peel my apples either (yay for easy!). But since not everyone has access to one of those delightful tools, I recommended peeling here.

Megyn @ Minimalist Mommi

Wednesday 28th of September 2011

Just a little tasty tip--my nana would always add in a few red hots. I can't even explain how immensely delicious it was with that secret ingredient!!

Molly

Sunday 12th of September 2010

I don't even take the peel off - I like how it adds color and texture to the final applesauce. I learned to can it this year!

Kathy @ the korner

Wednesday 10th of March 2010

This was also what I did with getting-wrinkled apples and the applesauce made turned out to be a lot more than I'd thought. Applesauce can also be frozen in zip-loc bags that have been doubled and kept in refrigerator 24 hours before freezing. I usually fill small size bags with the sauce and then put 2 - 4 of these in a Gallon size bag being sure to eliminate excess air in the large bag before sealing. PRE REFRIGERATION IS A MUST otherwise ice-crystals form within the applesauce and changes the flavor.

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