So here I am in Minneapolis for my first fall and 'tis the season, the season for apples that is. After schlepping home a couple of pecks from the Kingfield Farmers Market the first few
weekends in October, the last two weekends we have headed out to Applewood Orchard in
Lakeville to pick our own.
As part of our family's commitment to try to eat at least 50% local, I have been canning up
a storm this fall. When we brought the first batches of apples home, the first thing I did was make spiced applesauce. I have also delved into maple apple butter and spiced and sliced canned
apples, both recipes that I will post later this week. In the meantime, here is my applesauce recipe. This is an extremely easy recipe so if you've never canned before, just jump right in! Please note that my measurements tend to be haphazard, so feel free to substitute or play around, with fresh apples and yummy spices, it's hard to go wrong!
Spiced Applesauce
Apples - as many as you want but at least 20 or so for a decent sized batch. You want a sweet and juicy variety because the recipe doesn't use added sugar, I used Haralson this year. MacIntosh, Gala or Fuji would also work well.
Spices to taste:
Cinnamon
Nutmeg (preferably freshly grated)
Allspice
First, sterilize your jars and lids. You can either run the jars through a dishwasher on hot or wash them in hot, soapy water and then place them in a 250 degree oven to dry. Leave them in a hot dishwasher/oven until ready to use. Place the lids and rings in a saucepan filled with water and boil them for five minutes.
Then, peel and core the apples. Pile apples into a large pot and add water or apple juice/cider until the liquid is about 2 inches from the bottom of the pot. Put a lid on the pot and turn the heat to medium-high.
While you are waiting for it to boil and steam the apples, fill your water bath canner with water and start it heating on high. If you don't have a canner, click here.
When the apples are soft, turn the heat off and mush them with a potato masher. We like our applesauce chunky at our house so I don't smush them too much. Add the spices to taste and mix. Fill the hot jars with the hot applesauce leaving (pretty close to exactly) 1/2 inch of space at the top of each jar. Be very careful not to get any sauce on the rim of the jar (if you do wipe it off with a clean, hot wet towel). Place the sterilized lids and rings on the jar and tighten (no need to overtighten, they will seal in the canner). Place the jars on the rack in the canner and cover to 1 inch over the top of the jars. Process for 20 minutes (time from when the water boils gently).
OPTIONAL: If, after tasting, you feel you absolutely have to sweeten it, I would recommend adding a little maple syrup (NOT maple flavored syrup, the real thing)
Enjoy!
