How to Make Applesauce
It’s easy to make delicious, sweet-and-tangy applesauce right in your own home. It doesn't require peeling or coring, and you can cook it right in your slow cooker.
Thoroughly wash about 5 pounds of apples. If they seem waxy, scrub with a produce brush. Organic apples are recommended, as you will be cooking them with the skins on.
Quarter the apples and add them to your slow cooker or to a large-enough nonreactive saucepan. Add 1 cup water, or if you have it, apple cider or juice. Cook, covered, until the apples are soft.
Mash the apples with a potato masher until thoroughly pulpy.
Run the pulp through a food mill to catch the skins and seeds, creating a puree. If you do not have a food mill, press the pulp through a sieve.
Taste your applesauce. If you like it sweeter, add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until it tastes right to you. You may also add a dash of cinnamon if desired. This applesauce is safe to can using standard water-bath methods, and it will keep, sealed, in a cool, dark place for up to a year.
