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How to make a one meal batch of applesauce with NO special equipment
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This month's notes: November 2008: mid season and late apples are here! There may still be some corn mazes and hayrides! open. It's time to make pumpkin pies, soup, cheesecake and pumpkin bread. At many Christmas tree farms, you can go and pre-select your tree, then come back to harvest it later! Find an apple festival, tomato festival, corn festival, peach festival or other festivals near you! Organic farms are still not common, but any that are, have the word ORGANIC by their name! Check out my easy canning instructions/recipes, canning equipment guide - and if you have tomatoes coming out your ears, see the tomatoes canning page! Also make your own ice cream - see How to make ice cream and ice cream making equipment and manuals
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OK, so you don't want to can a dozen quarts, you just want enough for a dinner meal?  Here's the quick and easy way to make applesauce with NO special equipment. If you want to can jars of applesauce for later, see this page instead. 

The applesauce will taste MUCH better than anything you've ever had from a store, and by selecting the right apples, it will be so naturally-sweet that you won't need to add any sugar at all.

Directions for Making Applesauce

Ingredients and Equipment

• 12 medium or large Apples
• vegetable peeler
• Cinnamon

• At least 1 large pot
• Large spoons and ladles

Recipe and Directions

Step 1 - Selecting the apples

The most important step!  You need apples that are sweet - NOT something like Granny Smith's.  Yeah, I know you like them (why do sweet women like sour apples???) and even if I did, they still wouldn't make good applesauce - you'd have to add a lot of sugar. 

Instead, choose apples that are naturally sweet, like Red Delicious, Gala, Fuji, Rome and always use a mixture - never just one type.  This year I used 4 bushels of red delicious and one each of Fuji, Yellow Delicious, Gala and Rome.  This meant it was so sweet I did not need to add any sugar at all.  And the flavor is great! The Fuji's and Gala's give it an aromatic flavor!

Step 2 - How many apples and where to get them

You can pick your own, or buy them at the grocery store. 

Step 3 -Wash and peel the apples!

I'm sure you can figure out how to wash the apples in plain cold water.

Peel the apples just as you would a potato!

Step 4 -Chop the apples

With a knife cut the apples into quarters, (4 segments each).
Cut out the stem, the seeds in the center, and any hard parts around the seeds, stem and other end of the apple.  Also cut out any soft brown spots!

Step 5 - Cook the Apples

Pretty simple: put about 1 inch of water (I used either filtered tap water or store brand apple juice) on the bottom of a huge, thick-bottomed pot. Put the lid on, and the heat on high.  When it gets really going, turn it to medium until the apples are soft through and through.

Stir vigorously if you want smooth applesauce; if you like chunky applesauce, just be gentle in stirring so you don't break up all the chunks!

You can also put them into the food processor or blender to whip them into a smooth puree!

Step 6 - Add the cinnamon!

Add cinnamon to taste.  I usually add about 1/2 teaspoon per batch! If you chose sweet apples, you should not need to add any sugar.  

That's it!  You're done!  It's great warm or cold!

Home Canning Kits

Features:

This is the same type of  standard canner that my grandmother used to make everything from applesauce to jams and jellies to tomato and spaghetti sauce!. This complete kit includes everything you need: the canner, jar rack, jar grabber tongs, lid lifting wand, a plastic funnel, labels, bubble freer, and the bible of canning, the Ball Blue Book. You'll never need anything else except more jars and lids!
Features:

* All the tools you need for hot waterbath canning - in one comprehensive set!
* Complete with 21 1/2 qt. enameled waterbath canner and "Ball Blue Book" of canning.
* Also includes canning rack, funnel, jar lifter, jar wrencher, bubble freer, tongs and lid lifter.
* A Kitchen Krafts exclusive collection.

Click here for a larger photo, more information, pricing, ordering, etc.

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