Homemade Applesauce

It must have been the fall of 2010, before my husband and I were engaged. We went to my hometown in hopes to go apple picking to make some applesauce. Unfortunately, because it was rather late in the season and it was a rather mild season none of the orchards that my family frequented over the years were offering "pick your own" apples. We did get lucky that an orchard in the Ganges/ Shiloh area, Spring Hill Fruit Farm, had 2nd hand apples already picked for us! Now, before you write this off, 2nd hand doesn't mean they are rotting, or have bugs in them. Second hand simply means that they have a few blemishes (discoloration, uneven skin, maybe a small bug hole, etc.) but they work great for applesauce or apple pie fillings since you'll be peeling/ cooking them anyways.

The best way to make applesauce is to have at least a sweet and a sour/tart variety of apples. Below is what we mixed into our batch.

1/2 bushel mixed of Jonathan and Jonathan Gold ~$8

1/2 bushel mixed of Jonathan Gold and Yellow Delicious ~$8

We got about 15 quarts of homemade applesauce with minimal costs. My family has been canning for generations so we have a good stash of mason jars. After we bought more lids (we always use new lids to ensure a proper seal, but do reuse the jars and rings) at about $4.50 a dozen we only spent a total of $22.00 for 15 quarts ($1.50 a quart) of homemade applesauce that is so much healthier and tastier than store bought!

Spring Hill Fruit Farm

5646 Ganges 5 Point Rd.

Shiloh, OH 44878

P: 419.896.2866

If you have any questions/ comments, please let me know!

~JLS