Applesauce

My applesauce won a Second Place ribbon and the 2012 Tillamook County Fair!

Start by making sure your apples are washed. Yes it is a tedious process but you won't want any dirt on the outside of your apples. Trust me.

Quarter your apples. Seeds and stems do not need to be removed. (This is a plus!)

I use a juicer for this next part. A juicer looks like this:

The bottom portion is filled with water. The top portion is where the quartered apples will go. I fill mine all the way up to the top and put the lid on. The middle portion collects the "juice" that is steamed out of the fruit and comes out the clear tube that you see. I always put a very large stockpot on a stool and place it directly under the clear tube - taking off the metal stopper. This way the juice can come out when it's ready. I will stop the juicer tutorial at this point because this recipe only calls for making apple juice. The soft apples remaining at the top will be used for making applesauce.

Top part of the juicer - the one with all the holes will have your softened apples.  I usually grab the biggest spoon I have and start scooping them into this:

It's sort of old-fashioned.  It's a food strainer.  I start filling it up with the apples - seeds, peels and all.  The wooden paddle smashes the fruit down so only the "sauce" comes out the holes leaving the peels and seeds inside.  This part is the hard part so involve your family.  Especially since they are the ones eating it.  I know there are other food mills out there but this is my preferred method - as old-fashioned as it is.

I have a few really big bowls that I just fill up with my applesauce then proceed to the next step with is heating the sauce back up and adding sugar and cinnamon to taste - if desired.  I don't always add sugar and cinnamon.  I leave some of my sauce unsweetened for baking purposes.  If you feel your sauce is too thick - mix in some of the apple juice you just made from the juicer.

Once your applesauce is heated back up - fill your jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  Wipe rims and add hot lids and bands.
Process in a water bath making sure your jars are covered with the hot boiling water.  Process 20 minutes/quarts and 15 minutes/pints.

You will have to make many, many jars to keep your family happy.  I promise.