I just wash them well and remove the core and the stem if it's there. I don't peel. I do use a hand-cranked food mill, which gets the peels out just fine.

I have bushels of small apples this year - I wash them off in the sink, pull off the leaves and stems, cut them in half with a knife, and toss them into a 12 qt stock pot with about 2 cups of water in the bottom. Fill it up, put the lid on, and set it on the lowest heat (electric coil) and then let it come to a simmer. Need to shake it up a bit, or use a long metal spatula to scrape the bottom now and again so it won't scorch. Depending on the variety and ripeness, they soften up within an hour or so.

Then I let them cool to the point I can handle them - usually overnight - then run them through a food mill and remove the seeds and skin. Can up the sauce in qt or pint jars and water bath process for 30 minutes.

For smaller quantities, I use a microwave to soften them up.

That is great news!!! Thank you both!

I simply core and chop the apples and put them through the food processor. Add a little sugar to taste, plus cinnamon and nutmeg. Then put all into a casserole and microwave until done.

A 5-lb. bag of apples will partly fill a 2 1/2 quart casserole, so you can get rid of a lot of apples this way.

As the apples have not been peeled, you will end up with a richly colored and flavorful, pure applesauce. After making your own, I can assure you that you will never again buy it in the store. There is absolutely no substitute for the "real" thing.

I then freeze the sauce for use during the winter. It keeps well in the fridge, after thawing, and I've had it for weeks and it never spoiled.

To do a lot of apples without peeling, a Victorio or Squeezo strainer makes it easy. Wash the apples, cut them in half, steam until softened, then put through the strainer. Out comes applesauce.

From there, you can proceed to can them as usual.