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Applesauce and water

2 years ago

Last time I made applesauce, it came out too thick. I'm thinking maybe the apples weren't totally ripe (maybe had too much pectin). I didn't can that batch, just used it to make muffins and eat plain. I was given more apples and they may not be totally ripe either. Is it okay to add water to thin it before canning?

Featured Answer

annie1992

2 years ago

I think your applesauce is fine, as you have mentioned, apple butter is thicker and still safe to water bath can. Sugar does act as a preservative, but apples are a high acid fruit.

The safety issue would be density, of course, and I'd worry less about pints than about quarts, the heat can more easily penetrate the product in a smaller jar.

At any rate, since you followed the instructions regarding ratio of liquid and canning time, my opinion is that your applesauce is safe to enjoy. It's just my opinion, of course, no one can make a guarantee, but I'd eat it without worry.

Happy Canning!

Annie

Comments (6)

annie1992
2 years ago
Yes, you may thin the applesauce with water. Mine is never too thick, somehow, I cook the apples in a little water or apple cider and usually it's OK, sometimes too thin, but I've never been lucky enough to get it very thick.

Annie
cookiemon5 thanked annie1992
KSprairie
2 years ago
So I had a question about thickness of applesauce as well. I have never had the problem of sauce being thick until this year. I picked some Jonathan and Granny Smith apples from a neighbor and processed them quickly while they were still fresh. They were very good apples and had a lot of juice when eaten fresh. I used a blend of approximately 3/4 Jonathan and 1/3 Granny Smith.

NCHFP says it takes an average of 21# to make 7qts. I couldn't fit all 21# apples in one large pot, so I split them between 2 pots. I actually added more water than is called for, a little more than one cup per pot, vs NCHFP calls for 1/2 cup in one pot. I added 1/4 cup lemon juice to each pot as well.

My sauce was not 'sloshy' at all, it 'plopped' off of the ladle as I was filling jars. I reviewed BBB and NCHFP looking for any information regarding the consistency of sauce and could not find any. Since I had followed the directions, (except for needing 2 pots instead of 1 and actually adding more water than was called for), I went ahead and processed according to the correct time for my elevation, which is 30 min for quarts and 25 min for pints. Now I question whether I should have processed the thick sauce or not. Any advice on this?

Just as a comparison, I looked at apple butter recipes. They are cooked down until very thick, and then processed, but of course normal recipes have about 4 cups sugar to 4 pounds of apples. NCHFP has a low sugar apple butter recipe that only has 1/2 cup sucralose and 1 cup cider to 4 pounds of apples.

I would appreciate your input from a product safety viewpoint. Thanks!
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KSprairie
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
Thank you Annie! i appreciate your insight . There are times when I wish the NCHFP or BBB provided more information…. like describing what the optimal consistency of applesauce should be!
annie1992
2 years ago
I agree, some of the instructions are very subjective and not really very descriptive. I also wish they would differentiate between what is a safety issue and what is a quality issue. Instead, they just say it's "not recommended" or something similar and you don't know whether it's because it just doesn't turn out well or if it's going to be unsafe to store. (sigh)

So, we do the best we can.

Annie
KSprairie
2 years ago
I couldn't agree more. I am grateful for you and so many others who have shared your know and experience over the years. Thank You!! 👏

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