Apple season is here! Thankfully, apples are so very easy to ‘put up’ in a variety of ways! One way we like to do just that is applesauce! Applesauce making is so simple, when you employ the use of your crockpot!

Now there are as many ways to do this, based on your taste, as there are apple varieties! For us, it goes something like this:

We take our apples (any variety or mixture – we love them all) and wash them. We then peel them and slice off pieces of apple down to the core, right into the crockpot.  Make sure they are smaller sized chunks or thinner slices – no ‘half apple’ pieces here.
Once we have our crockpots about 3/4 full or so, I turn them on low, add in about a cup of water, put the lid on and let it cook for about 4-6 hours, checking it every hour (or a little more often) and giving it a good stir.  You do not want it sticking or burning – if it gets dry, just add a bit more water, although I rarely have this problem. Once it has cooked down and is the consistency we want, we water bath can it into jars and put it up on the pantry shelf. Everyone LOVES just the plain apple taste and why add anything else if it is not needed?

You can eat your applesauce fresh – it will keep in the fridge for three to four days. You can freeze it in plastic or glass containers or freezer bags, whatever your preference is there. I prefer to can it, so I am not reliant on my freezer.  We do put up quite a large amount of applesauce each year since everyone loves it, so that just makes sense for us. I waterbath my pints for 20 minutes and my quarts for 25 minutes – check your Ball Blue book or County Extension office for times based on your elevation.

Putting up homemade applesauce is one of the easiest ways to preserve the harvest of the season, try it today–it is so simple, and so delicious; you will never buy store bought sauce again!