Peeling and coring apples, whether they’re crabapples or the larger applecrabs, is tedious and time consuming. Luckily, making apple sauce and apple juice don’t require those steps.
Basic Apple Sauce Recipe
Start with this basic recipe. After you have the basic sauce, you can add whatever flavours (sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, honey, etc.) that you prefer. You can also use it in other recipes or freeze it for future use.
Apples
Water
This recipe works for whatever quantity of apples you have.
Preparation
Wash apples and remove any leaves.
Quarter apples.
Place 1 inch of water in a large pot.
Add apples to the pot. Cover.
Bring to boil.
Turn heat to low and let apples simmer until they are soft and mushy (30 – 60 minutes).
Stir every 10 minutes and add more water if mixture is too thick or dry (consistency will vary depending on type of apple).
Take off heat.
Separate cores, peels, and stems from the sauce with a food mill or by squishing the mix through a strainer.
Enjoy your applesauce!
Basic Apple Juice Recipe
The juice from this recipe is cooked and ends up thick and opaque. We like to dillute it with sparkling water or club soda for a refreshing drink on a hot summer day. The kids prefer mixing it with Sprite for added sweetness.
Apples
Water
This recipe works for whatever quantity of apples you have.
Preparation (similar to apple sauce recipe above)
Wash apples and remove any leaves.
Quarter apples.
Place 1 inch of water in a large pot.
Add apples to the pot. Cover.
Turn heat to low and let apples simmer until they are soft and mushy (30 – 60 minutes).
Stir every 10 minutes and add more water if mixture is too thick or dry (consistency will vary depending on type of apple).
Take off heat.
Separate all the pulp from the juice by placing the whole mixture into a cheesecloth or super fine strainer like the one pictured (Lee Valle fruit strainer).
Allow to drip for 4 hours.
Enjoy your juice!
This juice can also be used for making apple jelly.