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| We got a great deal on apples this weekend at the orchard. We went to pick about 20 lbs, so I could make some apple pie and maybe a little apple butter, but if you picked over 40 lbs, the price went from $1.29/lb to $.50/lb. Hubby and kids ended up picking 55 lbs. A little more than I intended, but a great deal. Anyway, I have a good deal of canning to do this week.
Unfortunately I have never actually made applesauce or apple butter before. These apples are INCREDIBLY small. I can not imagine peeling every one of these. For some reason when I was standing in the orchard and my husband asked me if I need to peel them to make what I needed, I was thinking about jelly (which I will also be making now) and said no. I have since read online that you don't need to peel the apples to make applesauce (and I assume apple butter also). You cook with skins on, put through food mill, and the skins are sifted out. But of course this doesn't mean it is safe for canning. I know with tomatoes I have heard a lot of bacteria is in the skin. Any thoughts? Does anyone keep skins on while making the applesauce or butter? Do they sift out easily? These apples are about the size of plums. I will be a very long week if I have to peel them all. Thanks in advance,
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Follow-Up Postings:
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| That is great news!!! Thank you both! |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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