Water Bath Canning Applesauce and Other Preservation Methods

How to make applesauce for now and save some for later to preserve your apple harvest.

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Adobe Stock/AGPhotography
35 minutes DURATION
25 minutes COOK TIME
10 minutes PREP TIME
8 SERVINGS

Ingredients

  • 2-1/2 pounds (7-8 medium) apples
  • 1 gallon soaking solution
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 to 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon, or to taste (optional)
  • 1 to 4 tbsp sugar or honey, or to taste (optional)
  • Salt, to taste (optional)

Directions

  • Wash apples, cut into quarters, and remove the peel and core. (A countertop apple corer/peeler can be purchased for around $20; it's a good investment if you plan to make applesauce in quantity.) Place prepared fruit in the soaking solution. Allow to soak no more than 5 minutes, and then drain in a colander.
  • Place drained fruit and water in a saucepan, cover, and cook over medium heat about 20 minutes, or until very soft. (Hard, unripe fruits or quince can take up to an hour to soften completely.)
  • If spiced applesauce is desired, add pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon to taste before pureeing sauce. Using a potato masher, hand blender, food processor, or stand blender, puree softened fruit until chunky or smooth, as desired. Add sweetener to taste. Some cooks also like to add a pinch or two of salt.
  • Cool, cover, and refrigerate up to 3 days. Freeze for longer storage. For shelf-stable product, process in a boiling water canner. Applesauce may also be used for making fruit leather. Makes about 1 quart applesauce; recipe may be multiplied.
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Sauce your surplus apples, pears, and quince. Then, consider water bath canning applesauce to get the most out of your favorite applesauce recipes.

A great way to take advantage of local orchard apples or a bumper crop from your yard is to make applesauce, and then preserve it in one of several ways. You can freeze applesauce, prepare shelf-stable product by canning applesauce, or stock up on delicious homemade snacks by making fruit leather from plain or flavored applesauce.

Apples, along with pears and quince are pome fruits — fruits that have a tough core encasing a group of small seeds. The core is surrounded by fleshy edible fruit. One pound of apples, pears, or quince is equivalent to 3 medium fruits or 1-1/2 to 2 cups sauce. Use any of these pome fruits interchangeably in the following recipes.

3 Ways To Preserve Applesauce Recipes

It’s Easy to Freeze Applesauce

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