Today's Frugal Success: Homemade Applesauce
***Addendum: See comments for more tips! Not pictured here are 4 cups of applesauce that I had made in the same batch and stored in the fridge, but after doing some calculations I found that I can get about 10 cups of unsweetened applesauce at Walmart for $2.08. Still cheaper than 8 cups homemade for $1.99. But for me it's still worth it to make homemade since Walmart is far from my house (I only go about once a month) and I know the peels are included in mine. However, it may not be worth the hassle for you if you shop at Walmart regularly unless you can get a smoking deal on the apples!
I know this is one that many people already do, but I thought I'd share my easy method for making homemade applesauce:
1. Buy a whole bunch of apples when they're cheap (I got a 3 lb. bag last week for $1.99 - not the cheapest I've seen, but still a good deal)
2. Wash, core, and cut the apples into chunks (I cut each apple in fourths, and then cut the fourths in half)
3. Place in pot and cover with water
4. Boil apples until fork tender
5. Blend apples, using some of the cooking water to thin out if necessary
6. Store in fridge or freezer (I keep some in the fridge in a tupperware for baking, and then freeze some in a ziplock for later)
I make my own applesauce primarily to use in baking so I don't sweeten it or add anything else to it, but occasionally my two year old eats some as a snack too. As a personal preference, I don't peel my apples because I like the added nutrition from the peels. If you want a few variations on yummy homemade applesauce, check these sites out:
Cooks.com Homemade Applesauce
Simply Recipes Homemade Applesauce
Make and Takes Homemade Applesauce
5 comments:
Do you know the cost comparison to a large jar of unsweetened applesauce? It looks like 3lb makes 4 cups. I can buy a jar of unsweetned applesauce for around $2 (I think) at Smith's. Any thoughts on this? I love to make things from scratch and not used canned but it looks like apples, water, and ascorbic acid are the only ingredients in my applesauce. Any thoughts? Is there a big taste difference? (not to try to say this isn't a frugal idea...I'm just wondering if I should go through the trouble in this instance or just buy a jar.)
I love homemade applesauce. My favorite is to use golden delicious apples. Casey and Karen asked about the cost comparison. The possibility for cost savings is really there if you can make a bunch when apples are cheap- like in the fall, especially if you can find a farm that will let you pick your own for less. The applesauce is more sweet the more ripe (not rotten!) the apples are. We happen to have a neighbor who has two trees and never uses a single apple. We can have all theirs for free. The two other things I can tink of are 1)you can make it thicker, if you want. Second, if you use the skins, you're getting more nutrients than you would in a regular jar.
this may sound ridiculous, but I never realized making applesauce was so easy. I think I'll have to try it.
Thanks for the tips, Shan!
I like to eat applesauce plain and will start feeding it to my daughter soon, so for the taste factor I think I'll try to make some. Thanks for the idea!
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