Posted in Putting Food By

Applesauce and Apple Juice

At the end of the winter, I use up any apples left in storage to make applesauce and apple juice. Usually the apples are starting to wrinkle up a little bit by this time, and applesauce is a great way to use them up. Applesauce is also incredibly easy for newbie canners. Here's what you do:

To make applesauce: collect your bruised, overripe, or apples beginning to wrinkle. Peel, core, and chop the apples. Save the cores and peels to make apple juice (instructions to follow), discarding the blossom and stem ends. Now back to our applesauce. Put an inch of water and some lemon juice (1/2 tsp to 1 T, depending on how many apples you have) in a saucepan or kettle. How to tell how much lemon juice? If unsure, use the least amount. If after a few minutes the apples start to darken a bit, add more lemon juice. Add the chopped apples (the water won't cover the apples, that is okay), stir to coat with the lemon juice water, and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer the apples until they are tender and soft (20 to 30 minutes). Use a potato masher to mash up the apples — a lot for smoother applesauce, or a little for chunky applesauce. I don't add extra sugar to my applesauce, but sugar can be added at this point to taste. A bit of cinnamon can also be added. Yum! Cook a little to make sure the sugar is dissolved, if added. Can in pint or quart jars, or freeze.

To make apple juice: put the peels and cores in a sauce pan with a little lemon juice, cover with water, and simmer while the applesauce is cooking. When the applesauce is done, the apple juice is done. Put the apple juice and peels in a jelly bag and let the juice drain into a jar while you are canning the applesauce. Don't squeeze the bag unless you want cloudy juice. If you don't have a jelly bag, no problem! Just line a strainer with a piece of clean unbleached muslin, and let the juice drain into a bowl.  When the juice is done draining, put the peels left in the bag in the compost, and refrigerate the juice to serve to your children for breakfast for the next few days. I love making apple juice, nothing is simpler!

This method of making apple juice will also work for getting clear juice for apple jelly or for homemade pectin. But I don't use end of winter apples for jelly or pectin, because the pectin is highest in slightly underripe and barely ripe apples from the beginning of the fall.

Christine Miller