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Applesauce for Canning
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Canning Applesauce

Canning applesauce has got to be the fastest and easiest way to preserve apples.  This simple water bath canning recipe for homemade applesauce is perfect for beginners!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Additional Time15 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Author: Ashley Adamant

Ingredients

  • Apples
  • Apple Cider juice or water
  • Bottled Lemon Juice see notes
  • Sugar optional
  • Spices optional

Instructions

  • When selecting apples for canning, you want to choose sweet, juicy, and crisp apples. 
  • Wash, peel, and core the apples. If you'd like, you can slice the apples into water containing ascorbic acid to prevent browning. 
  • Place the drained slices into a large 8-10 quart pot and add half a cup of water. 
  • Stir occasionally to prevent burning while heating the apples. 
  • Heat them quickly, until tender. This will take anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes. 
  • Use a sieve or a food mill to create a smooth texture, or you can bypass this step if you prefer chunk-style applesauce.
  • If you prefer your applesauce to be on the sweeter side, you can add 1/8th cup of sugar per every quart of sauce. Taste the sauce and add more sugar if you prefer a sweeter taste. 
  • Reheat the sauce to boiling and fill hot sauce into pint or quart jars, leaving a half-inch headspace. 
  • Wipe the jars clean of any residue, add the lids, and bands. 
  • Transfer the jars to either a boiling water canner or a pressure canner. For a boiling water canner, you'll process pints for 15 minutes and quarts for 20 minutes. If you'd prefer to use a pressure canner, you'll process pints for eight minutes and quarts for 10 minutes at 6 lbs of pressure in a dial-gauge pressure canner. If you're using a weighted-gauge canner, you'll process pints for eight minutes and quarts for 10 minutes at 5 lbs of pressure. 
  • After your processing time has finished, let the jars cool in the canner (and if you're using a pressure canner, wait for the pressure to return to zero). 
  • Remove the jars and place them on a clean dish rag to cool at room temperature for another 24 hours.
  • Check the seals, label, and store. Your applesauce should be safe to eat for at least one year.

Notes

Lemon Juice

Many people add lemon juice for tartness and have for generations, but more recently, Ball Canning did some research and found that many apple varieties aren't quite acidic enough for canning. The new super-sweet varieties are less tart, but older varieties grown in orchards with a lot of nitrogen in the soil make for less acidic apples.  They're not always acidic enough; it turns out, so now they're recommending adding lemon juice to all canned apple products.
For applesauce,  the recommended amount of lemon juice is 1 Tbsp per quart jar or 1/2 Tbsp per pint.  That's added to the bottom of the jar before you ladle the sauce into each jar, which helps you get the measurement correct, and helps you not forget to add it before you put the lids on the jars.

Applesauce Canning Altitude Adjustments

Water boils at a lower temperature at higher altitudes, so you need to increase the canning time to ensure proper processing.  Here are the altitude adjustments for water bath canning applesauce:
  • For Under 1,000 Feet in Elevation - Process jars for 15 minutes for pints and 20 minutes for quarts.
  • For 1,001 to 3,000 Feet in Elevation - Process jars for 20 minutes for pints and 25 minutes for quarts.
  • For 3,001 to 6,000 Feet in Elevation - Process jars for 20 minutes for pints and 30 minutes for quarts.
  • Above 6,000 Feet in Elevation - Process jars for 25 minutes for pints and 35 minutes for quarts.
Some people prefer pressure canning applesauce, even though it's not required, and a water bath canner is perfectly fine.  Pressure canning is a bit quicker, and releases less steam into the room, so it's a matter of personal preference.
If pressure canning applesauce, the canning times are always the same, but the pressure increases with altitude.  Pressure canning times are always 8 minutes for pints and 10 minutes for quarts.  Pressures are as follows:

For dial gauge pressure canners:

  • 0 to 2,000 feet in elevation – 6 lbs pressure
  • 2,001 to 4,000 feet in elevation – 7 lbs pressure
  • 4,001 to 6,000 feet in elevation – 8 lbs pressure
  • 6,001 to 8,000 feet in elevation – 9 lbs pressure

For weighted gauge pressure canners:

  • 0 to 1,000 feet in elevation – 5 lbs pressure
  • Above 1,000 feet – 10 lbs pressure