Homemade Chunky Applesauce

Making homemade chunky applesauce is pretty simple, and canning it isn’t that hard either.

Last year when we moved to our homestead we were excited to see we had four apple trees on the property.  However, last year was a horrible year for apples.  We didn’t really get any here, but even apple orchards were struggling last year.

Because it was our first year here, we didn’t know if that was normal and we just had trees that didn’t produce well, or if we would be blessed with apples on the tree this year.

I am happy to say, our trees are producing nicely this Summer.

 

While some of the trees still need a little more time, we did have one tree that had apples ready on it last week.  Naturally I wanted to make some applesauce.

However, I also had strawberries left in the freezer, so of course I had to make strawberry applesauce.

Making homemade chunky applesauce is a pretty simple procedure.  The biggest thing is that it is time consuming peeling and coring all those apples.

We have one of those apple peeler/corer things (clearly I don’t know what the actual name of that contraption 🙂 ) but you could peel them with a potato peeler or paring knife too.  It will just take longer.  I’m not a patient person so using the peeler/corer was torture enough for me.

Anyways, all you basically need to do is cut your apples, toss them in a pot with a bit of water, and add sugar to taste if you want, but many people make it without sugar.  Our apples were a bit sour, so I added the sugar.

HOMEMADE CHUNKY APPLESAUCE

this is the measurements we used.

6 lbs of apples

2 cups strawberries

1 cup of water

1 cup of sugar

 

You don’t have to add the strawberries if you don’t want to or don’t have any on hand.  You could just use apples, or you could use another fruit, such as blueberries or raspberries.

Place the prepared apples and strawberries (if using) in a big pot with the water.  The water is to prevent the apples from burning on the bottom.

Set your stove to medium heat.  Be sure to watch carefully and stir often to avoid the apples burning.

I used a potato masher as they softened to crush the apples.  If you don’t want chunky applesauce but would rather a smoother texture, you can always toss the apples in a blender or food processor to puree it.

Once it was the consistency I wanted,  I added the sugar.  I added a little at a time, and then I would taste test it to get it to the sweetness I wanted it.  Once you stir the sugar in, let the applesauce cook for another couple minutes.

That’s basically all there is to it!

HOW TO PRESERVE APPLESAUCE

You can process this applesauce in canning jars to make them shelf stable.  If you haven’t canned before and need some basic instructions, check out how to safely can by reading THIS post.

Always make sure you are following safety guidelines when it comes to canning!  It is SO SO important.

So, for canning the applesauce, you can ladle the finished homemade chunky applesauce into jars that you have washed with warm soapy water.

I like to use a rubber spatula to get any air bubbles out of the jars by running it around the inside of the jar.  You can also use a wooden chopstick for this.

Next,  I wipe down the rims with a clean cloth or paper towel.

Put the canning lids on, screw the bands on to hold the lids in place, and put them in your canning pot that is boiling and ready.

Process them for 15 minutes in the canner.  Make sure the lid is on the canner while you process the applesauce.

When they are finished and completely cooled, be sure to check the lids to make sure they all sealed.  It depends on who you ask, but I prefer to take the bands off before I stick them on the shelf.  The reason for this is because if one of your jars was to become unsealed, you would be more likely to notice it when there isn’t a screw band holding it into place, thus avoiding eating something that could potentially make you sick.

And that’s all there is to it!  Making homemade chunky applesauce is quite easy – it is just a bit time consuming, but totally worth the effort.