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Applesauce . .simple and pure

100% pure farm fresh apples


I was just talking to Kathy on the phone. . and we were discussing the different ways to make apple sauce. . .and I was trying to explain my food mill .. .
well, it is so much easier to see than to explain.
In the collage, you can see the antique one that my mom used for 40 some years. . and beside it the new one that I purchased.
It is so easy .. .
Just wash your apples, put them in a pot with a 1/2 cup of water. . enough to cover the bottom of the pot 1/4 inch. Bring the apples to a simmer and simmer about 10 - 15 minutes or until soft and tender.
You don't need to peel the apples, nor core them nor remove the stems. . .
Just cook them.
Then, put the food mill over a large bowl and pour your apples into it and stir,
. . . once in a while you'll need to stir counter clockwise to scrape the peels off the bottom.
There is nearly no waste. . . .and leaving the cores and seeds in for cooking provides natural pectin to make a nice thick applesauce.
Once done. . .taste and add sugar to your liking.
Put the hot applesauce into sterile containers and freeze.

16 comments:

  1. oh memories being stirred up here Lovella. I remember mom using that old wooden pestal in the cone shaped sieve for these types of things. And the house would smell wonderful!

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  2. My mom had one of those too! If you don't have one, it is still easy to make applesauce, but you need to peel etc. I cut up the apples, and cook them till they're all mushy, maybe 1/2 to 1 hour, add a little sugar and stir well. Use a potato masher if it's too lumpy. It won't be as smooth as Lovella's. Is this one of the ways you and Kathleen were talking about? Hope you don't mind me adding.

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  3. Kathy, uses a potato masher too. . .but peels hers. . .my way is quicker. . perhaps we should schedule in a race.

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  4. Oh of all things!!! My Mom had one of those contraptions in her pantry and I had no clue what it was so off it went in the box to MCC. She made apple sauce all the time, but I never watched her. Kicking myself!!!! I'm going to buy one of those. Kathy

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  5. This sounds so much easier than what I've been doing but you know I kind of like the peeling, coring and cutting up procedure..makes me feel closer to my mom as she did everything manually. I guess it would depend on how many apples I had to peel..grin

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  6. Lovella, that looks so good.
    That's exactly how I do apple sauce. I have one of those old fashioned food mills from my mom's kitchen which is exactly how she used to do it. Some things are worth keeping.
    I almost dropped over today to taste some but I saw a huge Grain truck on the yard....

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  7. Actually, I freeze apples for apple crisp, and when the bags get too frozen up, I throw them in a pot and make apple sauce. So it's very easy! No water, no masher, no mess. =)
    Now, if making apple sauce is a big separate project, that's another story. By the way, yours looks perfect, Lovella.

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  8. How funny to find your applesauce post today! I've just spent 13 hours in the kitchen -- making applesauce. (well, only about 8 of them involved the apples -- the rest was life, company for tomorrow, etc). Anyway, I made 34 quarts! This was my first time, so I've been asking lots of advice from my local canning friends. It went very well! I'll be posting on it maybe Monday.

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  9. I have my MIL's food mill...and used to do lots of applesauce for the freezer. Now I just do small amounts, so don't usually bother with the food mill. Mine doesn't look shiny & polished like your new one, Lovella! Your applesuce looks yummy.

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  10. I am just getting into canning and your recipes have been a great help this summer. I have over 400 jars of food stored for our little family and to give as gifts - it feels so good!

    I love my ancient Foley Food Mill and use it all the time! It is great for baby food and all sorts of other things too - like smooth date filling for cookies! It makes quick pasta sauce and removes all of the seeds that some folks find so distasteful!

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  11. I usually make applesauce the "long way", but this morning, I checked this blog and saw it made with a food mill. Well, I received a new food mill from my MIL a few years back and hadn't used it yet. I love smooth applesauce, so this was just perfect. The only difference was I put it back on the stove to heat up with sugar and canned it.Thank you!!

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  12. I love your recipes! I can a lot and this is simple and sweet! I made a caramel apple and pear sauce this morning before work and I made a pumpkin pecan butter the other day that my grown sons said was good. Haven't had time to pick apples yet. Thanks, Jennifer

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  13. I have always wanted to can apple sauce. I am just afraid that it will not keep as well as other peoples apple sauce. I do not add very much sugar to mine. I try to find different variety of apples some sweet, some tart some that hold up better some that are softer. A mixture of apples adds to the flavor. Any tips to assure that it preserves properly or would I have nothing to worry about as long as the jars seal ?

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  14. I would think that to can the applesauce you should stick the jars in a canner. Since I don't can my own I looked online and found this really great and very detailed instruction. You might find it helpful too.
    http://www.pickyourown.org/applesauce.htm

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  15. WOW! Thank you very much that page had a lot of information. It had many links to even more information. I am desperately trying to go back to more "home made" versus store bought full of preservatives. Thanks for the help.

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  16. Ah yes, I still use my mom's cone-shaped sieve and the wooden stirrer. Instead of adding sugar, I put in a few cinnamon candies! Freezing the applesauce in small PB jars makes the right amount readily available to enjoy.

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