When we were in Hood River I really wanted to go apple picking. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do but have never done. I thought it would be a nice way to spend a Fall day with the little guy. That didn’t quite happen. It sounded good in my mind but the logistics just weren’t on our side this outing so instead of picking apples, I bought some at a fruit stand in the Fruit Loop.
When we got home I got set up to make applesauce with the 4 pounds of apples I bought in Hood River. I had my little pumpkin to keep me company while I made it.
I got a mixture of apples–mostly honeycrisp but I got a few golden delicious too. I also used one leftover jazz apple to round out the weight to 4 pounds.
When I saw the recipe I planned on using called for 4 pounds of apples I was a little intimidated. That sounded like SO MANY APPLES! But it really wasn’t a ton. Here are four pounds:
So basically a big bowl of them!
I washed and cored the apples and then chopped them up into chunks where they went into the crockpot and nearly filled it to the brim.
I decided to do the High setting for three hours since I didn’t have a ton of time to do it on the low setting for 6 hours. It was a good call. I don’t know that it changed the flavor or texture by doing it high so it was just easier to do it faster!
Since I was home I occasionally stirred the mixture (about once or twice an hour). As the apples started to soften and cook they smelled so good. It smelled like apple pie baking in my kitchen!!
I used the tomato press/food mill that I have and it worked great. The texture of the apples was pretty soft but it wasn’t applesauce consistency yet so I’m glad I used the food mill. Plus it got out 90% of the apple skins. I ran the pulp and skins through the mill two more times after the sauce was done and got more applesauce out of it.
I didn’t have the time or desire to can the applesauce so I put some in a jar to eat immediately and I had two freezer containers that I filled 3/4 to the top and then froze.
I really hope freezing it works well!
The flavors of the applesauce are subtle and flavorful but not too sweet. It definitely tastes way better than the store bought applesauce. Plus it was so easy! I definitely plan on doing this again and making my own applesauce. And next time I will try to can them and maybe give them away as gifts.
It was so much fun to make applesauce from scratch. And it felt like such a Fall thing to do. 🙂
Now for the recipe:
[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:142]
I tried to find the source for this recipe to link to it here but for the life of me I can’t find the website where I got the recipe from! It was a great recipe, though. I liked that it had very few ingredients and that it only called for 1/4 cup light brown sugar. Some of the recipes I saw online called for a lot of sugar, which I didn’t want to do.
Anyways, this recipe was a winner! And it was really easy! Give it a try!
Lori
I wonder if you could peel the apples and not use a food mill. I don’t have one, but want to make applesauce. I guess a potato masher could work in a pinch LOL.
I wanted to make applesauce, but John is thinking pie first 😀
Lisa Eirene
Sure, peeling the apples would work too. I figured that would be much more time consuming though. The food mill part took me maybe 10 minutes.
Cheryl
Really great post. I love homemade applesauce but never thought of doing it in a crock pot. My mother used to make homemade applesauce all the time in a big pan on the top of the stove. It did smell so good when cooking. One time, I remember, she forgot the pan and it burned – burned horribly. Naturally the applesauce was no good but that pan was horrible. Now I would have tossed the pan (back in my “throw away days) but she scrubbed and scrubbed that pan for days and probably went through a whole box of SOS pads but she got it clean. Never walked away from the applesauce on the stove again!
I am going to try your crock pot recipe though. Great for fall and winter. Here in the country where I live in the fruit belt of Southwest Michigan apples are abundant right now and I can get them right off the farms.
Lisa Eirene
I love the story about your mother. Definitely a generational thing. My grandma and mom would do the same thing–scrub it until it worked again!
The recipe was SO easy. Seriously, one of the easiest I’ve ever tried. The crockpot probably makes all the difference. It really was a leave it and let it do all the work.
Lisa
My family makes applesauce too, but we don’t put sugar or cinnamon in it. Just a small amount of water to keep the apples from burning to the pan. I have a food mill that I thought was called an applesauce maker until I was an adult because that’s all my grandmother and mother ever used it for. It’s cone shaped with a wooden cone that you press the food into the sides that are like a sieve. My sister and I use the crockpot but my mom and grandmother made it on the stove. The applesauce makes great apple butter!
Lisa Eirene
Oh yeah I think the sugar could be skipped next time.Apples are pretty sweet on their own. I want to experiment with other apple types.
bethh
Haha! I’ll see your four pounds of apples and raise it to TEN pounds! I went a little crazy at the market a couple weeks ago – when I had the apples cored and chopped they filled my Dutch oven to the absolute top. I actually had to shift some into a smaller pot until they started breaking down.
I just add a little water and add some cinnamon at the end, keep it on medium-low on the stovetop, and moosh it with a spoon sometimes. I leave the skin in and I like it chunky!
Lisa Eirene
Dang! 10 pounds! Good for you.
I also like the chunkier applesauce. It’s a good texture and that’s why I didn’t also puree the applesauce after putting it through the food mill.