Blueberry or Strawberry Applesauce

Submitted by anonymous

"This is a very simple and delicious basic flavored applesauce recipe that uses no added sugar. I use an unsweetened, not from concentrate apple juice and I find that the apples and fruit are generally sweet enough that I have never added sugar. I use a combination of Washington, Fuji, and Gala apples and sometimes Red Delicious. I usually need about 40 medium apples for this recipe - I find that each apple weighs approximately 4 ounces after coring. You could use any berry you wanted for this recipe or any combination of berries. The processing time given is for pints - if you use quart jars you might need to increase the processing time a little."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 20mins
• Ingredients: 3
• Yields: 10 pints

ingredients

• 10 lbs apples, cored and cut into eighths (weight is after coring)
• 4 cups blueberries or 6 cups strawberries
• apple juice

directions

1. Prepare your apples - I use one of those apple corer/slicers that cores the apple and cuts it into 8 slices in one fell swoop which cuts down on my prep time considerably. I use a food strainer to remove the peels later so I don't bother peeling at this point but you can if desired.
2. Put prepared apples into a very large stockpot and add about 1/4 inch or so of apple juice to the pot just to get the apples started and prevent them from scorching on the bottom. Heat apples over medium-high heat stirring frequently until the apples are softened.
3. While apples are cooking prepare the berries of your choice. Place the berries in a blender (you might need to work in 2 batches) and add a little bit of apple juice just to get them to puree nicely. Set aside the berry puree.
4. Run the softened apples through a food mill or a food strainer (I use the food strainer attachment for my KitchenAid Mixer which works beautifully) to create a thick applesauce.
5. Drain off the liquid from the stockpot and add the strained applesauce back to the pot. Add the berry puree and mix well. Heat the mixture over medium heat to boiling and boil for a couple of minutes.
6. Remove from heat and ladle applesauce into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. (This tends to make a bit of a mess during processing and I have found that it helps to fill jars to just shy of 1/2 inch from the top.) Process for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath - adjusting processing time for altitude.