Gala Apples
For me, October and November are all about apples and making homemade applesauce. And let me tell you, once you’ve had homemade, you will never, ever, ever go back to store bought. Trust me. I won’t eat any other kind of applesauce anymore.
It’s long been a tradition for my mom and I to get together and spend roughly six hours on a Saturday making applesauce (Now Inge gets to share in the joy, too!). Why so long? Because we usually turn out about 30-40 quarts! It’s insanely messy and hysterical. We constantly trip over each other, fight for the sink, fling apple peels all over the kitchen – pretty much have a blast making a mess…but a delicious mess. She learned to make applesauce from her mom and my Dad’s mom (my grandmothers). They would spend hours in the kitchen doing what my mom and I do together now.
Inge slicing apples
There are sooooo many ways you can make applesauce. Google it and you’ll find hundreds, if not thousands, of recipes and methods. We prefer the pure, simple, and sweet taste of the apples. We don’t add any flavors other than sugar. Some of the best apples to use for making applesauce are Gala (our favorite), Empire, Cortland, McIntosh, Jonathan, Golden Delicious (more tart), Jonalicious, Jonagold, and Fuji. You could use some others, too, but these are the ones you’ll get the best flavor and consistency.
Most of the time, we use just one kind of apple. This year it was Gala. In the past, we’ve done blends of two or three different apples, but we always go back to our beloved Galas. The taste is unparalleled, but it’s also a matter of preference!
You can get your apples anywhere, but for larger quantities you’re better off purchasing them from the farm markets and local orchards. The orchards and farm markets will sell them by the bushels. You’ll get about 12 to 16 quarts of applesauce per bushel of apples. Count on 12 or 13 quarts per bushel. If you’re only making a small amount, figure about 3 to 4 pounds of apples per quart of applesauce you want to make.
Use a food mill to squish the skins off the apples and smooth the sauce
You ever notice how some applesauces are more pink and some are more brownish yellow? The pink comes from the skins cooking with the apples. It’s not necessary or required, but if you prefer a pinker color, and an easier method, give it a shot. It saves having to peel the apples. We just slice and throw in a pot. Then let it bubble away! If you choose to leave the skins on, you’ll have to invest in a food mill (see picture above – this one is my grandmother’s old food mill) which lets you squish the apples through a sieve leaving the skins in the mill. It also smoothes the applesauce.
Foley Food Mills are fairly inexpensive. You can get them for about $25. Click here for a link (no affiliate) to Amazon to purchase one.
Instead of canning the applesauce, we freeze it in 3- to 4-cup study plastic containers (with lids). If you freeze it, the shelf life is indefinite (barring freezer burn and whatnot). Canned, which you can certainly do, has a shelf life of about 2 to 3 years.
Apples cooking – two different stages (one in back is further along)
Making applesauce is a tradition I plan to continue with my own children one day. For now, I’ll hoard my freezer full of applesauce until the next apple season strikes again. I have to pace eating it so I don’t run out too early!
My favorite way to eat applesauce? A pile of mashed potatoes, topped with a pile of green peas, topped with the sweet applesauce and then I scoop the mess onto buttered bread. Don’t ask…I have no explanation. It’s a childhood thing.
Finished applesauce
- 2-3 bushels Apples
- 1 cup sugar per pot of apples
- Water
- Foley Food Mill
- 20-30 3- to 4-cup sturdy plastic freezable containers with lids
- Wash and dry containers and lids.
- Wash the apples, then use an apple corer/wedger to slice and core the apples. Discard the cores and seeds. NOTE: You do not peel the apples! You will put the entire apple (minus stems and core) into the pot to cook.
- Add approximately 1-inch of water to the bottom of a large stockpot. Add apples and put the pot on the stove.
- Turn heat to HIGH until apples are boiling (you’ll hear popping, snapping, and gurgling…don’t be alarmed).
- Once boiling, turn the heat to medium or medium-high, and continue cooking the apples until extremely soft and mushy, approximately 30-45 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent burning. You want the apples to simmer, not boil constantly.NOTE: if there is a lot of standing water (juice) among the cooked apples, you may want to ladle it off before you sieve the applesauce, or your applesauce may be too watery. Be sure to save and refrigerate the juice – that is tasty natural apple juice! You can use it to cook the next batch of cut apples, or drink it!
- Place a bowl in the sink and sieve/food mill over top of the bowl.
- Once the apples are cooked, put the a small batch of the cooked apples (including the skins) into the food mill, and use the wooden plunger/or handle to push it through the sieve into a bowl.
- Stir in 1 cup of sugar, with more or less to taste, to the bowl of applesauce. Ladle into containers and let cool completely before freezing.
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