Absolutely Worth It!
You may think that making apple sauce at home isn't much better than buying some at the store. "It tastes the same" you might say. "It's too much work" is another common excuse. However, once you've gone through the simple process of making your own apple sauce, you'll never even consider picking some up at the supermarket. Apple sauce made from home is so much more fresh-tasting, succulent and rewarding than in any other form.
All you need is at least 30-50 fresh, sweet apples.
-First, make sure you have a strainer. This is what will actually mush up your apples and separate the good stuff from the pulp. I use the Victorio VKP250 which can be found on Amazon (I'll post a web link at the bottom). Any strainer specified for apple sauces or jams will work, though.
-Wash your apples.
-Slice them in into quarter, discarding the stem. Skin and seeds should be left on.
-Put the chopped apples into a large pot with water. Set onto a boil for about 10-20 minutes (depends on how much water you put in and how many apples you have). They are done when they become quite mushy.
-While the apples are boiling, set up your strainer. Make sure you have a large bowl for the side where the sauce shoots down and a bowl or compost bin on the end where the pulp will come from.
-If you have a lot of water still in the pot, use a ladle to scoop some of it out. If there is too much excess water with the apples, the sauce may be too runny. However, leaving a little water with them won't hurt.
-Dump apples into the funnel of your strainer until it is about 3/4 to 4/5 of the way full.
-(If you're using the VKP250) use the pusher to help force the apples down the tube as you crank the handle. Turn it quite quickly because this is what rotates the grate itself.
-Clear the pulp bowl as needed. You may want to run some of the pulp through again if the sauce is coming out too runny. In some cases, I've put the pulp through two or three times.
-Scoop the fresh apple sauce into jars for canning or into old milk cartons for freezing. Freezing the sauce keeps it tasting fresher. However, canning is a great way to make the sauce last for years. I'll post directions on the canning process soon.
She's a happy canner.
Link to purchase the VPK250 strainer:
No comments:
Post a Comment