This is one of those recipes that for me, at least at the holidays, is worth making from scratch. We are so lucky to have an amazing farmer’s market in my hometown (IG @matthewsfarmersmarket). This fall they have had an apple fundraiser. Yesterday I bought 4 bags of apples (half pecks maybe?) – see my display below – there were mostly wine sap and pink lady apples, but also a couple bags of bruised & blemished unnamed ones – they were discounted and it matters not at all when making applesauce, so that was a bonus. I love a bargain surprise when already intent on buying, don’t you?

For the sake of creating this recipe, I am counting an average of 10 of these medium-sized apples for the amount in the bags I bought, but if yours are larger like some I see at the grocery store, go with about 8. This is one of those recipes where the amounts don’t matter too much, but I know that drives some people crazy. For me, I love the forgiving nature of this type of cooking. With only a few ingredients and a simple process, I would say this one is in the “eat to live” category, though “eat to live” people might not agree and just go buy applesauce at the store. Fair point. But for my “live to eat” friends, this is so delicious. I made SUCH a large batch because I have two events coming up. Of course, this is a staple at my kind of Thanksgiving. But also, next weekend, we will honor my father’s passing (still cannot believe he has been gone five years) by getting together to enjoy a meal we would always and only have when visiting his family in York, PA., which is Pennsylvania Dutch country to those of you who don’t know. I will tell you more about that meal later, but for now – applesauce!

Recipe Notes:

A food mill is one piece of commercial kitchen equipment I refuse to do without in my home. For this recipe, it is because I really do not like peeling all those apples. It’s a dealbreaker for me and makes me not want to make it. You can certainly make this recipe without a food mill, but add a peeler to the equipment list and have at it. But before you do, please note that apple skins are very nutritious – adding more fiber, vitamins and antioxidants to the dish. Most of the peels will be caught by the disks of the food mill, but if some pass through, I consider it a nutrition win!

After tasting the applesauce at this point, I added 1/3 cup sugar. My apples were a mix of wine sap, pink lady and gala apples – also some unnamed ones. You decide if you need a little sugar, a lot of sugar – or if you think it is perfect just the way mother nature intended.

This is also when you need to determine if the texture is how you want it. I don’t mind my applesauce being chunky a bit, so I stop here.  If your crowd prefers a smooth, silky texture, put it in the blender for 3-4 minutes on high to make sure it is very smooth before serving or storing. I still recommend the food mill first, as it is such a time saver because you don’t have to peel the apples. As I mentioned before, the apple skins are really good for you, so if any sneak through, consider it a healthy bonus. The blender will puree them if you don’t like a chunkier texture.

If you were really paying attention, you realized that I only used 3 of the 4 bags for this giant batch of applesauce. What about the other bag? Well, I am glad you asked! I used the other bag to make apple butter. That recipe starts off exactly like the applesauce, but after blending it to a very smooth texture, I put it back on the stove to cook for hours, until it is a lovely brown color, nice and velvety thick. It is still cooking, so when it is finished I will add that cooking time factor and post the recipe another time. I just love apple butter on a country ham biscuit.

Homemade applesauce can last in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. It also freezes well. Allow it to fully cool in the refrigerator, then transfer it to a freezer-safe container. Frozen applesauce keeps up to 6 months. When ready to use it, thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving. Consider freezing small batches of it to have throughout the holiday season.