Ingredients

6 lbs apples, scrubbed and quartered, stem and blossom ends trimmed (see note on varieties below)
1 cup water
1 teaspoon cinnamon (more or less to taste)

Instructions

Place prepared apples and water in a large (6-quart) pot. Heat to boil the water and then reduce to low to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Stir and mush the apples, moving the apples on the top to the bottom, then simmer 30 minutes more until soft and mushy.
Spoon the apples into a Foley food mill set over a large bowl or another pot. Turn the crank (alternating about 5 clockwise turns with 1 counterclockwise so that the grate doesn’t get clogged) until just skins and seeds are left in the food mill and the bowl is full of applesauce!
Taste the applesauce and stir in cinnamon. Serve warm or chilled!
To freeze, put chilled applesauce in a Mason jar, tupperware container, or freezer bag, leaving room for it to expand.

Notes

I usually get a box of blemished apples delivered with my Produce Box, and I’ve made applesauce with all different types of apples (sometimes I don’t even know what kind I’m using). If I’m buying from the store, I usually use a mixture of 2 varieties of sweet apples that are good for cooking. Here’s a link with info about a lot of varieties!

If you don’t have a Foley food mill, peel and core the apples before cooking, then mash by hand or use a food processor or blender to smooth out the cooked apples.

To make 15 lbs of apples, I use 2 large pots or my huuuuge stock pot to cook the apples! Just increase the water and cinnamon in proportion.