Tara Heil of Mark Heil Harvesting posted these pictures on Facebook and said she was making applesauce in a crock pot. I thought it sounded interesting and easy and asked her if she would share her recipe. And she did…
The local grocery store has been practically giving away apples, a different variety or two every week — Gala, Fuji, Pink Lady, Honeycrisp … — which means cheap homemade applesauce. We’ve been making it one big crock pot at a time, which usually yields three full pints plus several other servings that never make it into jars, although I have no idea where that goes (ahem). So, so good, sweet and a little tart and just apples, no sugar or anything else. We also dry the skins in the oven for a crispy, crunchy, apple-y snack.
Here’s how my mom and I have been doing this (she taught me how). It’s pretty easy and pretty forgiving:
Wash and peel your apples. Or wash them and don’t peel them, but we prefer them peeled. Either way, definitely wash them! Core them. Cut each apple into eighths.
Pile them into the slow cooker with a little water — maybe a cup? Put the lid on and cook on high (or low, whichever you think is best for your slow cooker) for a few hours, stirring every 30-45 minutes or so and making sure they don’t get too hot, cook dry and burn. Enjoy the delicious smells. If it looks like they’re starting to get dry and wanting to stick to the crock, add some more water and/or turn your slow cooker down a notch. If it looks like there’s way too much juice/water and you have apple soup, let it cook with the lid off for a while. Cook until the apples fall apart and the sauce reaches the desired consistency.
That last step is the only tricky part; I’d imagine each slow cooker cooks slightly differently, so probably high on one slow cooker is too hot and will make the apples stick and burn, while low on another will take forever to cook the apples. Also, some people will want very smooth applesauce (cook longer) while others prefer a chunky consistency (don’t cook as long). In our slow cooker on high, we’ve been cooking a pretty full crock for about 3 1/2 hours. If the apples are completely cooked but haven’t fallen apart yet and we’re tired of messing with it, we run a hand mixer in them for a couple of minutes to mash them.
At this point you probably want to taste it and decide if you need to add some sugar or want to add cinnamon or other spices. Ours has been great plain — not tart, not blah — and we’re not adding anything.
Spoon applesauce into sterilized jars and process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes — or spoon it into resealable plastic bags or other containers and put it into the freezer — or put it into a plastic bowl, pop a lid on and put in the fridge if you don’t want to mess with it any further. Or just spoon some into a bowl and dig in now (be careful, it’s hot).
I hope it’s useful to someone. It’s a great way to use cheap apples, and so tasty. And it’s nice that you don’t have to stand and watch it. As long as you remember to check it once in a while, it makes itself once it’s in the slow cooker. Go for a walk, run to the grocery store, whatever; it’ll be fine.
1. Be ready to go at the drop of a hat...sometimes without a lunchbox.
2. Has removed the word impossible from her vocabulary!
3. Can hold a baby, take care of a toddler and drive a tractor or combine all at the same time.
4. Must be able to cook for a crew - large or small.
5. Must be able to read minds.
6. Must be able to banter with a parts man until he realizes you DO know what you're talking about.
7. Must be the entertainment director for those rainy days.
8. Be a wife, mom, friend, helper, cook, problem solver, taxi driver or extra crew hand at all times.
9. Can handle the call that makes you react, "You need what? When?" Dropping everything you're doing to make it happen.
10. At the end of the day say, "I really do love this life".