Home Canning Strawberry Applesauce with Recipe and Tips

Every year during home canning season I like to make 12-16 jars of homemade strawberry applesauce for my winter pantry. It’s fairly easy to make and always tastes better than store bought applesauce. I typically follow the Ball Canning Recipe but do cheat by using my slow cooker to cook down the apples which I’ll explain below and I then add in pureed strawberries to the mixture.

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Don’t do home canning? That’s okay! Make the recipe following my steps below. After simmering it on the stove-top for 10 minutes, turn off the heat and let it cool. Spoon into freezer containers leaving a 1″ headspace. Place on lids. Label and freeze for up to 1 year. You can pull out one container at a time and thaw it overnight in your refrigerator.

Slow Cooker Tips: I wash, peel and core my apples. I chop them into smaller pieces. Place into the slow cooker with just enough water to cover them. Stir in 1 to 1 1/4 cups of fresh or thawed sliced strawberries. Add in 3 tablespoons of lemon juice to prevent browning of the apples. Stir everything together. Cover.  Slow cook on the high setting for 1 hour and then turn the heat down to low. Slow cook them for 3-4 hours on low or until apples are super-soft. Use a slotted spoon to fish fruit out of the water. I place everything into my Ninja (blender). Cover and blend until smooth and creamy.  Transfer everything to a large saucepan and simmer over low heat on the stove-top for 10 minutes, stirring often. Then I proceed with canning it.

Applesauce is canned using a water bath canner. You’ll need the water bath canner, glass mason jars, seals, rings, a wide mouth funnel, jar gripper and other basic canning supplies. Strawberry juice can stain your linens, so I recommend using old kitchen linens while canning and wiping things up as you go.

Home Canning Strawberry Applesauce Recipe

11 to 12 lbs. large apples (peeled, cored, diced)
1 to 1 1/4 cups fresh or thawed blueberries (see above)
3 cups granulated sugar
3 tbsp. lemon juice (fresh or bottled)

Prep: Wash apples and dry. Remove stems and blossom ends. Peel apples, remove core and seeds. Cut apples into quarters and then dice. Treat apples with Ball Fruit-Fresh Produce Protector to prevent darkening.

Cook: Drain diced apples. Combine apples, blueberries and water in a large pot. Cover over medium heat until soft, stirring to prevent sticking. Remove from heat. (this step can also be done in a slower cooker for several hours with the temperature set at low). Puree mixture using an electric food strainer or food mill (I use my blender). Return fruit puree to the pan. Stir in granulated sugar and lemon juice.  Bring applesauce to a boil, stirring to prevent sticking until the granulated sugar completely dissolves. Turn the heat down to low-medium.

Fill: Ladle hot sauce into a hot jar, leaving a 1/2? headspace. Remove air bubbles and clean the jar rim. Place lid and band onto the jar until the band is fingertip tight. Place jar on the rack elevated above the water bath canner with the water simmering at about 180 degrees F. Repeat until all of your jars are filled.

Process: Lower the rack into the simmering water. Water must cover the jars by at least 1? in depth. Adjust heat to medium-high, cover the canner and bring the water to a full boil. Process pint size jars for 20 minutes. Turn off heat. Let jars sit in the hot water for an additional 5 minutes to begin the cooling process. After 5 minutes remove them from the canner. Place jars on a towel on your kitchen counter to allow them to cool. Once they reach room temperature you’ll want to check them to make sure that all of the jars sealed properly.

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