Recipes: Applesauce and Apple Butter

Cornell's NWAEG group shares the recipes they used for their most recent food preserving event.  They also did a rough economic analysis, as shown below.  They say that if you consider the jars a one-time, reusable investment, a pint of applesauce costs just $0.93 -- about half the cost of store-bought applesauce.

Item	amount	cost per unit	total cost
apples	3 bushels	$17.33	$52.00
1/2 pint jars & lids	16	$0.92	$14.65
pint jars & lids	40	$0.99	$39.60
misc		$11.00	$11.00
brown sugar/cider etc
			with jar	w/ojar
materials cost to produce 1/2 pint apple butter			$2.53	$1.62
materials cost to produce 1 pint applesacue			$1.92	$0.93

Chunky Applesauce

 

United States Department Of Agriculture, Extension Service

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/HE221

Quantity: An average of 21 pounds is needed per canner load of 7 quarts; an average of 13-1/2 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints. A bushel weighs 48 pounds and yields 14 to 19 quarts of sauce -- an average of 3 pounds per quart.

Quality: Select apples that are sweet, juicy and crisp. For a tart flavor, add 1 to 2 pounds of tart apples to each 3 pounds of sweeter fruit.

Procedure: Wash, peel, and core apples. If desired, slice apples into water containing ascorbic acid to prevent browning. Place drained slices in an 8- to 10-quart pot. Add 1/2 cup water. Stirring occasionally to prevent burning, heat quickly until tender (5 to 20 minutes, depending on maturity and variety). Press through a sieve or food mill, or skip the pressing step if you prefer chunk-style sauce. Sauce may be packed without sugar. If desired, add 1/8 cup sugar per quart of sauce. Taste and add more, if preferred. Reheat sauce to boiling. Fill jars with hot sauce, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process.

Table 1. Recommended process time for Applesauce in a boiling-water canner.
		Process Time at Altitudes of
Style of Pack	Jar Size	0 - 1,000 ft	1,001 - 3,000 ft	3,001 - 6,000 ft	Above 6,000 ft
Hot	Pints	15 min	20	20	25
	Quarts	20	25	30	35
*After the process is complete, turn off the heat and remove the canner lid. Wait five minutes before removing jars

 

Apple Butter (Marilyn Hornor)

3 qt. apple cider

8 lb. apples

2 ½ c. brown sugar

2 ¼ t. cinnamon

½ t. salt

1 ¼ t. ground allspice

In large kettle reduce cider to 1 ½ qt. by cooking over moderate heat. Add apples to reduced cider, cook until tender stirring frequently. Put mixture through a food mill. Return pure to heat and add sugar and spices. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly (scorches easily) until very thick.

Similar recipe at: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/HE219

Table 1. Recommended process time for Apple Butter in a boiling-water canner.
		Process Time at Altitudes of
Style of Pack	Jar Size	0 - 1,000 ft	1,001 - 6,000 ft	Above 6,000 ft
Hot	Half-pints or Pints	5 min	10	15
	Quarts	10	15	20
*After the process is complete, turn off the heat and remove the canner lid. Wait five minutes before removing jars.