• Peel, core and chop half of the apples into small pieces. Place them into a large pot with the water and turn to a medium/low heat.
• Continue peeling, coring, and chopping the apples as the first round cooks. You can add directly to the pot as you get done with each apple. This method will give you a chunky applesauce by ensuring that not all of the chunks cook completely.
• Simmer the pot over medium heat and cook for about 30-40 minutes, adding apples as you get them prepped.
• Once a majority of apples are soft, blend with an immersion blender until a majority of the chunks are smooth (how long you blend will be your own preference).
• Taste the applesauce and add your preferred sweetener and spiced. I love to do about 1/2 cup of brown cane sugar and a tablespoon of cinnamon.
• Let the applesauce simmer for another 5-10 minutes to allow the sweetener and spices to fully incorporate, then remove from heat.

Canning The Applesauce

• Sterilize your quart jars and lids in a hot water bath.
• Ladle the hot applesauce into the sterilized jars, leaving about ½ inch of headspace at the top.
• Wipe the rims of the jars, place the lids on top, and screw on the bands until just finger-tight.
• Process the jars in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes for quarts, 15 minutes for pints.
• After processing, remove the jars from the water bath and let them cool completely. Once sealed, the applesauce can be stored for up to a year in a cool, dark place.