How do you go from 3+ bushels of apples to delicious, homemade applesauce? Good question. We tried to figure it out last week. :)
We decided that washing the apples would be a great start.... Fill up the sink a bit and toss in some white vinegar. I caught this tip on a blog somewhere and assume it helps to kill some germs or get rid of pesticides that may be on the skin.
Use a vegetable scrubber to gently rid the apples of any debris.
After this, the apples were quartered (that's it, no need to chop or peel!) and placed in 5-6 quart pots. Cook on medium heat until apples are softened enough to go through the strainer. We used the KitchenAid Fruit and Vegetable Strainer Attachment that goes with the Food Grinder Attachment. Oh how I love thee, FVSA, let me count the ways.....
This might be a bit too far, but oh well, too soft is better than too raw. :)
If you have never seen one of these things in action, check it out on YouTube or on my next post (Tomato Sauce). Using a metal cone with holes and a "worm", the fruit is pushed through. The good stuff comes out of the holes and goes into one bowl. The skin, seeds, stems, etc. is pushed through the middle and out into another bowl! Voila!
We reheated the applesauce to boiling on the stove and ladled into plastic containers for freezing and glass jars for canning. 20 minute water bath is all you need. Although, some of the jars did seal without the WB. We assume you would need to eat these first just in case there was some bacteria in the jar that did not get killed in the sanitation process or found its way there in the meantime. OR you could throw them in the freezer as long there is some room for expansion.
No sugar or cinnamon was added (to most) and it tastes great! Much less watery and more flavorful than store bought sauces. Extremely smooth.
It took a long time, but it was a relatively simple process thanks to the KitchenAid. It's a great excuse to catch up with friends and family and have some yummy, healthy, homemade goodness to share in the end! :)
