Applesauce, Canned (Spiced too)

Ingredients

• 1/2 Bushel mixed Apples (~24 pounds Apples, ~60 Medium Apples)
• 2 - 6 Cups Apple Cider (depending on how many pots needed to boil everything)
• 2 tsp Citric Acid
• 16 Pint Jars (see notes)

Directions

1. Rinse the apples and quarter them; skin on and with seeds.
2. Throw them all into a giant pot and pour about 2 cups of apple cider into the bottom to prevent the apples from sticking. I like to have two pots going at once – double the work, baby!
3. Cook the apples down on medium to medium-low heat until they are nice and soft, stirring every 5 – 10 minutes. This will take about 30 minutes. Make sure you are using a metal pot that conducts heat evenly. Flimsy pots can burn the apples, and you could end up with sauce that tastes like it was made next to a campfire – been there, done that!
4. Let the apples cool a bit.

Pour your soft apples into a food mill.

1. I often run the “waste” through the funnel a second time and squeeze out even more sauce. In less than 5 minutes, an entire pot of cooked apples is transformed.
2. Since you are using different apple varieties, you want to incorporate them well. Before canning, pour all of your sauce into one giant pot and stir. There is no need to add sugar! I don’t even add cinnamon to mine because it can always be added AFTER it is served and applesauce in its purest form is best in baking.
3. Re-heat batches of the sauce into a smaller pot until simmering.
4. Pour the sauce into clean jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
5. Load them into your hot water canner.
6. Process in a water bath (or steam):
7. Both pints and quarts for 20 minutes

Notes

Canned 17 Pints Sept 2022 from 1/2 bushel apples

Spicy Cinnamon Apples

Add 1/4 cup red hots per pint of sauce. Adjust for personal taste.

Since 1 pint = 2 cups use: 1/2 cup red hots per quart of applesauce 2 cups of red hots per gallon of applesauce

1 bushel of apples equals:

 About 42-48 pounds of apples 

 Approximately 126 medium size apples 

1/2 bushel of apples equals:

 About 21-24 pounds of apples 

 Approximately 60 medium size apples 

Acidification:

I use fine citric acid instead of a 5-percent acid solution (the average for store-bought vinegar or for the juice of most lemons)

¼ teaspoon citric-acid powder = a generous 1 tablespoon of 5-percent lemon juice/vinegar;

½ teaspoon citric-acid powder = a generous 2 tablespoons of the vinegar or lemon juice.

 The equivalents actually are:

      ¼ = 4 teaspoons

      ½ = 8 teaspoons

 however 1 and 2 tablespoons are easier measurements.