Homemade Applesauce

Cathy's neighbor, Jane (yes, candied bacon Jane!), told me about a different way she makes and preserves applesauce that I had to try for myself. She was spot on with that bacon so I'm totally trusting her!  First of all, she cooks it in a crockpot so it's super easy and hands-off; second, she doesn't process the filled jars in a water bath (I had no idea you could do this by the way). Her unusual way is after filling the jars, wipe the rim clean, add a hot lid (note: put the lids in a small saucepan of water on the stove, bring to a simmer), and screw on a ring. Then place the jars upside down on a towel for 10 minutes, turn right side up and wait for the "pop" indicating it's sealed. You'll know if they've sealed by pushing in the center of the lid, there should be no give. Tighten the ring after you turn them over if it is loose.

That's it! She follows the recipe found here except she cuts the sugar to 1/4 cup, I followed her lead and did the same thing. I didn't try hers but my batch is a little tart, a little sweet, and the perfect consistency (note: not sure what Jane does but the recipe says you can put in food processor if you want a smoother consistency - I did not need to put mine in a food processor, it just turned into the right consistency when it cooked down).

Peel, core, cut the apples into chunks. I can't tell you how many it'll take to fill your crockpot - depends on how big the apples are and what size crock-pot you have. I used my big oval 6qt. slow cooker and an assortment of apples, some were big, some little - I mixed northern spy, courtland, macintosh, and honey crisp and it took quite a few of them to fill my crockpot. Note the recipe says she fills 3/4 of crockpot, I listened to Jane and filled it to the top.

Put the apples in the crockpot, pour 3/4 cup of water, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and a dash of vanilla over the apples.

Mix all together and cook on low for 5-8 hours until the apples are broken down and it looks like applesauce!

I didn't take a picture of the filled jars, but you can see
them in the background behind the green tomato jam...