Using the Apple Abundance - Slow Cooker Applesauce | Family Economics

By Erin

Each autumn season brings an abundance of apples! The bushels at farmer’s market down the street are overflowing and they can’t sell them fast enough. The neighbors have six trees and they can’t seem to keep up with the harvest.

One effortless way to manage apple overstock is to prepare slow cooker applesauce, which is easy to make. It takes a few minutes to peel and core the apples, before they go in the slow cooker for an hour or two.

To make slow cooker applesauce:
1. Toss the peeled and cored apple pieces or slices into the bottom of a lightly greased slow cooker.
2. Season the apples with a little cinnamon, nutmeg or cloves, and add a touch of brown sugar or other sweetener.
3. Give the apples a gentle toss with the seasonings and sweetener.
4. Place the lid on the slow cooker and set it to cook on high.
5. Stir the apples after one hour of cooking, stir again at two hours.
6. As soon as they have reached the desired softness, gently mash them with a fork or potato masher and stir.
7. Let the applesauce cool before moving on to the storage process.
8. Add the cooled applesauce to canning jars or plastic freezer containers.

To can, follow the directions of your pressure cooker or these directions from Pick Your Own. Canned applesauce will keep indefinitely.

To freeze, simply place the cooled applesauce into the plastic container, leaving about 1/3 inch of headspace. The sauce will expand some when it freezes. Store in the freezer for up to three months.

If you are looking for an apple variety that is just the right sweetness for applesauce and does not require additional sweetening, I suggest the Golden Delicious variety.

So next time you see an overflowing bushel of apples or a neighbor who has an abundance, don’t let them go to waste! Make a few batches of slow cooker applesauce.

Have you tried slow cooker applesauce before or do you have other ways to use apples this season?