Cooking aficionados are always on the lookout for new recipes, crafting magic in the form of versatile dishes and ingredients, such as dill picklesAMP, sweet picklesAMP, and salsaAMP. Chefs, with all their culinary prowess, brought excellence in the form of a versatile ingredient: applesauce. So, in this article, we will discuss the process of canning applesauce to retain its freshness alongside an easy recipe.
Folks, if you are looking for how to can homemade applesauce, let’s see why there is a reason to do that. In addition to maintaining the freshness and taste of homemade applesauce, canning applesauce provides a number of additional advantages:
1. Nutritional Preservation: The nutrients found in fresh apples are preserved during canning.
2. Convenience: Keeping canned applesauce on hand provides you with a snack or recipe item that’s ready to eat.
3. Cost-Effective: Canning and preserving your own applesauce can be less expensive than purchasing store-bought varieties, especially during apple season.
4. Customizable: You can change the sweetness, texture, and flavor of Homemade applesauce to your personal taste preferences.
Given these benefits, everyone might desire to make and can applesauce in jars to consume whenever they need to.
Ingredients
Equipment
Let’s have a look at the easy recipe to can the applesauce, and we will also unravel how long to do it.
First, give the apples a good cleaning. Cut them into even slices after peeling and cored. This guarantees your applesauce will be cooked evenly and have a smooth consistency. You can chop the apples into larger pieces or leave some of the peels on if you like a chunkier texture.
Transfer the cooked apples to a large pot and pour in approximately one cup of water. This helps the apples simmer down and keeps them from adhering to the bottom of the pot. Once the apples are soft and mushy, cover the pot and simmer over medium-high heat, stirring regularly. Usually, this requires 20 minutes.
When the apples are soft, purée them using a potato masher for a chunkier applesauce or a food mill for a smoother consistency. For a smooth consistency, you can alternatively use an immersion blender. Try the applesauce and, if you’d like, add sugar, lemon juice, or spices. Note that added sugar is optional and that the apples’ inherent sweetness could be plenty.
If you are done with apple puree, you must prepare the canned applesauce jars. While the applesauce cooks, have your canning jars ready. Rinse them well after washing them in hot, soapy water. Put the jars in a large stockpot or canning pot with water inside to sterilize them. After bringing the water to a boil, let the jars steep for a minimum of ten minutes. Until you are ready to fill them, leave the jars in the hot water. In a small saucepan of simmering water, simultaneously preheat the lids (do not boil).
Fill the hot applesauce jars using a ladle and funnel, allowing about ½ inch of headroom at the top. The jars should be sterilized first. This area is required to guarantee a good seal. Using a non-metallic spatula or chopstick, carefully run around the inside edge of the jar to remove any air bubbles. To make sure there is no residue that can obstruct the sealing process, wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, moist cloth. After putting the jar lids on, tighten the bands with a fingertip’s weight of force. It is one of the most important steps to can the applesauce using a water bath.
Using a rack at the bottom to keep the jars from coming into direct contact with the pot, place the filled jars in the canning pot or stockpot. Make sure there is at least one inch of water in the jars. After bringing the water to a boil, process the jars for 15–20 minutes, making any required adjustments for altitude. So, if you are wondering how long to can applesauce in the water bath, it is 15-20 minutes approximately.
Using a jar lifter, carefully remove the jars from the saucepan and set them on a towel or cooling rack despite the processing time. Give the jars 12–24 hours to cool without being touched. After the lids have cooled, use a pressure gauge to inspect the seals on each one. The jar is sealed if it does not flex up and down. The sealed jars should be kept in a dark, cool place. Jars that didn’t seal properly should be stored in the refrigerator and consumed within a couple of weeks.
These are some simple steps to can the applesauce. However, it is worth mentioning that there are several other methods, such as pressure canning the applesauce and how long it takes to do it, canning the applesauce without a canner, and others. You can opt for any preferred method according to your personal inclinations.
Ingredients
You could always savor the flavor of fresh applesauce by following these instructions.
However, you can make the applesauce in a pressure cooker and the recipe to it is listed in Sara’s article.
Wrapping up, the article covered a detailed guide to can the applesauce so it can be consumed later. You can follow the steps as they are mentioned in the article to maintain the freshness of this versatile ingredient. You can use it as a perfect side dish to make your ordinary dishes a bit rich and sweet.
Happy Canning!