Homemade Applesauce

Use apples such as Jonathan, McIntosh, Golden Delicious or Gravensteins to make this simple and basic homemade applesauce.

Recipe Ingredients:

9 pounds apples, peeled, cored and sliced (about 27 medium-sized)
1 1/2 cups water
1 to 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (optional)
1 to 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (optional)

Cooking Directions:

1. Combine apples and water in a heavy 8 to 10-quart pan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer, stirring often, until apples are soft, about 30 minutes.
2. Add sugar and cinnamon, if desired; bring to a boil. Sauce will be slightly chunky; to remove large lumps, whisk briefly with a wire whisk.
3. Fill hot, sterilized jars with hot sauce, leaving 1/2-inch head-space. Gently run a narrow nonmetallic spatula between sauce and jar sides to release air bubbles. Wipe rims and threads of jars clean; top with scalded lids, then firmly screw on bands.
4. Place jars, slightly apart, on a rack in a boiling water canner or other deep pan half-full of hot water. add more hot water to cover jars by 1 to 2-inches.
5. Bring water to a simmer; then cover and simmer for 15 minutes for pints, 20 minutes for quarts. Lift out jars and let cool on a towel away from drafts. Test seal of each jar by pressing lid; if it pops when pressed, there's no seal. Store unsealed applesauce in the refrigerator and use within 1 month.
6. If you like, you may omit processing and ladle sauce into freezer containers, leaving 1/2-inch head-space. for pints, 1-inch head-space. for quarts. Apply lids; then freeze for up to 1 year or refrigerate for up to 1 month.

Makes about 6 pints or 3 quarts.