Easy Applesauce

Over the past two months the weekends have been spent canning and preparing for winter.  Lately we have been doing applesauce.  A couple of weeks ago the girls and I headed out to the orchard and selected a bushel and a half of apples from two giant wooden bins filled with seconds.  Seconds are the less eye appealing apples that have blotches, blemishes, are misshapen and a variety of sizes. At this particular orchard all the seconds go into the bin together, no segregation. 

I like to do my canning in smaller batches and in the case of applesauce I make mine in the slow cooker.  I love this process because I can get it started and go do something else for awhile then come back and stir it and leave again.  It takes about six hours to cook down my applesauce to the chunky consistency we like.

I wash all my apples and run them through the apple peeler corer slicer.  Then I cut them into quarters and place them into my 5.5 quart slow cooker until it is packed tight.  It doesn’t bother me in the least if there is a little bit of skin still on my apples either.  I add 1½ c hot water, put the lid on it, set it on high and walk away – sort of. 

All the peels and apple cores go into another pot and are covered with water to simmer for thirty minutes until they give up all that is left in them.  I drain that and save this lovely broth to make my great-grandmother’s apple jelly (future post).  The drained remains then go out to the compost bin.  By this time the slow cooker is ready for its first stirring.

After the apples are cooked down to the right consistency I add a cup of sugar, stir thoroughly and it is ready to pack into jars and process in a hot water bath.  Taste it at this point.  You may want to add more sugar.  We don’t like ours very sweet but you might want yours sweeter. 

Sterilize your jars, bands and lids.  Fill pint jars leaving at least ½ inch head space.  Process in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes.  Carefully remove jars from canner with jar tongs and set on a folded towel on the counter to cool. 

After they have cooled push on each lid to make sure they have sealed.  Remove bands, wash jars and store in a cool dark place.  I like to write the date on the lids.  Any unsealed jars should be refrigerated and enjoyed right away.  Two batches of slow cooker applesauce will make about 11 to 12 pints.