At my local farmer’s stand, I scored about 2.5 lbs of apples this morning for $2.50. I came home, peeled them, cored them and threw them into the crockpot to make applesauce. 4 hours later the aroma of fresh cooked apples filled the house and was ready to be tested.
When I tasted how EXCELLENT it turned out, I jumped back into the car, headed down the way to get me some more apples! $5 worth!
The green and yellow delicious varities were on sale for half off, so I asked the gal how many pounds I could get for $5. I ended up with about 8 pounds, paid with a five, and headed back home for round 2 (of 4) of making homemade applesauce. Overall, for $7.25 I’ll have AT LEAST a months supply of homemade applesauce (I hope…it will likely be gone by next week)! A bit more than I might have paid at the grocery store, but totally worth it because I made it myself!!!
I HIGHLY recommend green and yellow delicious apples for making applesauce! I did not add any sugar as these varieties are sweet and don’t need any help being sweetened up!
I used…8-10 yellow or golden delicious apples, juice from 1 orange (or use a lemon), and about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon with 1 cup of water
Thanks Crockpot Lady for putting the idea and possibility into my mind, and then showing me how to do it!
Thanks Full Tummies for many other great ideas for using apples!
How ’bout them apples?!?
Got any more creative ideas for using this Fall’s harvest of apples? What’s your favorite type of apple?
For more tips, tricks and ideas, check out Rocks in My Dryer’s Works for Me Wednesday!
Rebecca says
I have never made applesauce in a crock pot, but it’s really easy in a regular pot, too. I recently bought 10 lbs. of apples at the farmer’s market and plan to turn it into applesauce and maybe a few apple crisps.
Trudy says
I love making applesauce in the crockpot. It makes them so wonderfully soft and perfect. I always make one batch with cinnamon because I love cinnamon. That one is yummy also. Enjoy your sauce.
mensa63 says
I remember in home ec in junior high school (they call it middle school now) the first thing we learned to make was apple sauce. I don’t think I could eat pork without applesauce but mostly I love its vesitility and I use it as a partial fat substitute in a lot of baking recipes and now most cake mix boxes offer alternative recipes using applesauce as a sub for fat. My favorite spice to add is freshly ground nutmeg. Don’t be fooled there is no comparison between fresh grated nutmeg and the weak stuff you get in cans. My grandmother always had a nutmed nut in her apron pocket on baking day and used it generously. You can get them in the supermarket now and don’t have to go to a specialty shop.
Sherry says
Yum! Homemade applesauce!! 😀 I haven’t made any this year.
I just posted a recipe for some German Apple Cake that is lightened and healthier.
Becca says
WTG on the good deal on the apples. I think it’s great how so many people use crockpot lady’s recipes.
Science PhD Mom says
It's very easy to can apple pie filling, or even to freeze it. Last year I made a bunch of "Apple Pie in a Bag" and threw them into my freezer. I just peeled & sliced up apples, and put them in a gallon size freezer bag in my pie pan. When I had enough to fill the pan, I added 1/3 cup of sugar, 1 tsp of cinnamon, a dash of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of corn starch, and a dash of brown sugar. I mushed it all up and froze it. Throughout the year I used them for apple pies and cobblers, and they were perfectly sized for my pie plate.
This year I am canning them, as well as canning applesauce and spiced apple rings. I got all the apples for free from my neighbors' gardens, so I haven't a clue what varieties they are–but I know they make good pies!
Martha A. says
We make alot of apple crisps and I am going to try to make some apple pie filling and applesauce if we do not eat them all first! I bought 90 lbs of apples last week for .25 a pound and we have been just eating alot of them!
I also dry a bunch of them for snacks later and we like cut up apples in oatmeal too.
Kris says
My daughter loves applesauce. I’ve made homemade a time or two, but never in the crock pot. Thanks for the suggestion.
Jolyn says
Um, WHERE is the local farmer’s market??
Barb says
I love home made applesauce. We have two apple trees and a pear tree in our yard. My six-year-old helps pick the apples. We freeze our applesauce and just take it out of the freeze the night before we plan on using it. I have never tried to cook the applesauce in the crockpot. We are going to try this.
Brianne says
Use your bounty even more by making apple juice from the peels and cores. Just put all the peels and cores in a big pot, cover with water and cook on med-low for about 20 minutes. Pour through a strainer and sweeten to taste. It won’t take much sugar! My kids hardly ever get juice and I could feel good giving them this since I knew where it came from and how much sugar it had.
Mary B says
I love crockpot applesauce. I never peel or core my apples, just put the whole sweet goodness through a ricer or strainer. BTW, pink ladies are the best!
ATL Cook says
Keep cooking that applesauce in the Crock Pot, to make apple butter.
I’ve been making applesauce since the early 60s; DF had several apple trees and so did DGP. Even store bought applesauce can be frozen in individual servings for the lunch box or for baking. I have added fresh nutmeg, ginger *dried or fresh), allspice, cinnamon (stick or ground), apple pie spice, pumpkin pie spice or what ever you have in the cabinet that needs to be used up. A dash of vanilla is always good too. Or, simmer that old dried up piece of vanilla bean you already scraped the seeds out of.
I never bother peeling apples; do core and cut out seeds sometimes. I put it all through a fine mesh strainer and get all the goodness from the peels. Jonathan, Golden Delicious, Yellow Transparent (what DF had) and most anything you can pick from a tree, (U-Pick It) free in the neighborhood, buy at a Farmer’s Market, or store.
Be careful about buying apples at Trader Joe’s. Last year, they were selling them with a CHINA sticker on them. And to think, we have lots of GA grown apple orchards.