Family Apple Picking and how to can an Easy Applesauce Recipe.

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A few weeks ago a friend called and said she had loads of apples on her tree, and we were welcome to come pick them. I was in need of apples at the time to make applesauce, apple butter, and all things apples! So my husband and I loaded up our kids that evening and gladly went out to her farm to accept her offer.

As my husband climbed up the ladder and began handing down apples to me, I began thinking of all the yummy apple treats that were awaiting us! While fresh apple pie most definitely got made, apple sauce and apple butter canned for the winter were at the top of my list!

Have you tried fresh apple sauce?? It’s one of the best tasting things..in my humble opinion! 🙂 It’s one of those things that you forget how good it is until you try it again, and you then realize what you were missing all that time. I mean, have you tried apple sauce and yogurt? Enough said right there.

So, with gallons of apples sitting in my cellar and my clock ticking to get something made with them, I chose apple sauce! Hang with me and I’ll show you how to make the easiest, chunkiest, most delicious apple sauce; and how to can it for later!

You have a couple of different choices of how to prepare your apple sauce, either chunky or creamy like you get in the store. I prefer mine to be chunky! This way also makes it very versatile as you can put it in apple pie or anything you want later on. We’ve been eating ours on yogurt mostly, but the chunky version is totally versatile and practical!

So, lets get down to business and learn how to can an easy applesauce recipe!

Step 1

Prepping the apples

Cut up the apples! This step still requires some time and patience, but not nearly as much as some other methods! I choose not to peel mine. This may or may not be controversial, but when you’re a busy mama I’m personally not going to take the time required to peel them. I don’t mind the peel still on at all, and neither does my family. However, if your family does, you may want to take that extra time. Totally up to you! I’ll just put the apple on the cutting board, cut the four sides to core it, and then slice and chop up those sides into smaller pieces. The sizes are more up to you and how long you want the next step to take.

Step 2

Boiling them down

Next, you’ll put all those apples that you just chopped up and put them in a large stock pot to start boiling down. You can add a few, then as you finish chopping just keep adding them to the pot. No need to try and get everything chopped up first. We’ve also done it, where if you can get your husband or older kids involved in an evening, you can chop up a bunch all at once then store in a zip lock bag in the refrigerator. This is super handy to cut down the chopping work on the day you’ll boil down and can them all!

Step 3

Start the canning process

If you’re canning this, I would go ahead and get a big canning pot on the stove to start boiling while your apples are still boiling down. This way, you won’t be sitting around waiting for water to boil…quite literally!

You can also go ahead and wash all your jars and heat up your canning lids on the stove while the apples are boiling down. If you don’t have time to do all this while the apples are boiling, it’s fine. You’ll just need to get the jars washed and water at least heating up a good way before you start packing the jars.

Note: If you need some canning items, linked below are some things similar to what I use. However, if you can find these at a garage sale or thrift store, it will be much better on your wallet. ;).

• Granite Ware water bath: https://amzn.to/40WQsKk
• Large stock pot: https://amzn.to/3uH9Q1R
• Jar lifter: https://amzn.to/3TmX1En

Step 4

Packing the jars and canning

If you’re new to canning, applesauce is probably one the easiest things to start with! Once your applesauce is boiled down to your desired consistency, then you can start packing your freshly washed jars with it. As long as your water is boiling, go ahead and put the heated lids and rings on the jar, then place them in your canner. I usually do quarts, but you can also do pints if that’s all you will use.

Bring the water back to a boil and let the jars boil for 20 minutes for quarts and 15 minutes for pints. After they’ve finished boiling you can take out the jars and place them on a towel to cool and seal. Do not mess with the jars or seals for 24 hours or sometime the next day. That way the jars have a chance to seal properly.

Check your seals the next day and as long as the little tab in the middle of the lid is pushed down, you should be good to go. I also like using the tapping method. If you tap on it with a spoon or something, a sealed jar should have a hollow sound to it.

And there you have it! As long as your seals are good, take the rings off and store them away for future use. If for some reason a jar did not seal, just put it in the fridge to use right away.

Canning applesauce is a super easy way to get a quick filling or topping for something, or even just to eat by itself! If you have kids, a jar probably won’t last you long. 🙂

Let me know if you try this applesauce and how you liked it!

Yield: N/A

No-sugar Chunky Applesauce

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An easy step-by-step guide to canning delicious, no-sugar chunky applesauce!

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 1 day

Total Time 1 day 20 minutes

Ingredients

• Apples
• Cinnamon-optional

Instructions

1. Start chopping up your apples. The amount just depends on what you have and how much you want to can.
2. Start boiling down the apples.
3. Set your water bath canner on to the heat to start boiling if you are canning.
4. Wash your canning jars in hot water.
5. Heat up your canning lids on the stove.
6. Once your apples are all chopped up and boiled down to your desired consistency, start filling your jars.
7. Place lids and rings on jars and set in boiling water for 20 minutes for Quarts and 15 minutes for pints.
8. Once canned, set on counter to seal for 24 hours
9. If sealed properly, store and enjoy.
10. If not all sealed, just stick in the refrigerator to use.