Canning Applesauce {Preserving Apples}

Step 1

Prepare your water bath canner by filling it with water. You just need to have enough water to cover the jars by 2 inches once the water is boiling.

Step 2

Set the canner on the stove. Turn the burner to high. Once it reaches a boil, reduce it to simmer. You want to keep the water hot so that everything is ready when the applesauce is.

Step 3

Wash and sanitize your jars. You’ll want to keep them warm to avoid having them crack when placed in the canner. You can fill them with hot water, or place them on a tray in the oven at 200 degrees F.

Step 4

Wash your lids and set aside in clean place. You no longer need to simmer lids in water to keep them sterile.

Step 5

Set a medium/large pot of water to medium high on your stove.

Step 6

Wash your apples and cut into eighths, or more if you have particularly large apples. Add apples to the hot water and cook until they have softened (1-5 minutes depending on your type of apple).

Step 7

Remove using a slotted spoon and place in a strainer set into a large bowl.

Step 8

Run the apples through a food mill to remove the seeds and skins. Keep warm until ready to can (I use my slow cooker set to warm).

Step 9

Ladle in the warm applesauce into jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Remove the bubbles from the jar (I use a chopstick).

Step 10

Use a wet clean rag and wipe the rim of the jars to make sure it is free of any food.

Step 11

Place a clean lid on the jar. Add a ring, and tighten to fingertip tight.

Step 12

Lower your jars into the canner using canning tongs/jar lifter. Secure the lid and set the timer for 15 minutes for pints or 20 minutes for quarts. For canning at different altitudes, check out the guide in the post for adjusted processing times.

Step 13

When the time is up, turn off the stove and let the jars sit for 5 minutes in the canner and then lift them out with canning tongs. Place on a towel where they can sit undisturbed for 12 hours.

Step 14

Pretty soon you’ll start hearing some “pops and pings” which are the sounds of the jars sealing. Yay!! You did it!

Step 15

After a few hours, to check for sealing, gently press down in the middle of the lid. If the lid has no give, it’s sealed. If you can press the lid in and it pops a bit, your jars are not sealed. You can reprocess them or store them in the fridge or freezer (only freeze jars that are wide mouth).