How to Make Homemade Applesauce for Rosh HaShanah
As the month of Elul, the sixth month on the Jewish calendar, is quickly approaching – I’m reminded that we are heading into a 30-day preparation period in our homes and in our communities.
Because the High Holy Days and Simchat Torah happen almost back to back, it’s customary for families and congregations to take the entire month of Elul (the last month during Seed Time) to prepare and plan all dinners, guest lists, services, activities, etc. so that everyone – including the women who do most of the home planning and cooking – can enjoy the season stress-free with their families and everyone around them.
So this year, as you are making your preparations and gathering recipes, I hope you’ll add some homemade applesauce to your Rosh HaShanah dinner tables!
And keep this recipe in mind for latkes during Chanukah, too!
I first learned how to make homemade applesauce when my Mother-in-love taught me how to make baby food purees. And of course, the apple sauce was a hit with my sweet little baby. I never realized how simple it was! It’s very easy and so much healthier than store-bought applesauce – no preservatives and no fructose corn syrup. And I can appreciate that!
Organic or Not Organic?
Apples are a part of the “dirty dozen” list published by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) for having the highest amount of pesticides when grown conventionally versus organically. To learn more about the Dirty Dozen, click here.
Because of this, I highly recommend buying organic when it comes to eating apples – especially when they’re for making baby food.
Here’s How to Start
First, I started with a bag of organic apples from Aldi. I peeled all the skins off and cut them into small chunks. Then, I steamed them on low for about 20-30 minutes. Whenever you steam anything, you want to steam it on low so that it keeps the most amount of nutrients possible.
As soon as they are soft enough to stick a fork through, put them into a food processor, blender or bullet and blend. I wanted my homemade applesauce to be very smooth, so I used a food processor and blended for about 5-7 minutes. I loved it’s creamy consistency!
After it’s done in the food processor, I usually give some to my toddler right away. Homemade Applesauce is just one of those things that taste good warm or cold. When we first introduced my daughter to applesauce we didn’t add anything else to it. Now that she’s a lot older, I make sure to add cinnamon! Yum!
If you want a sweeter apple sauce, you can add sugar and cinnamon while blending.
Make in Advance and Freeze
Applesauce is one of those things you can easily prepare in advance and freeze it for a few weeks until Rosh HaShanah. For best quality, apple sauce will last up to three months when properly stored. So making it during the month of Elul (preparation month) works out perfect!
Because I make a lot of baby purees, I freeze them in ice cube trays. But you can freeze it however you’d prefer.
L’shanah tovah, friends! May you have a sweet new year.
P.S. If you made homemade applesauce from this blog post, please take a photo and send it to me! Let’s connect on Instagram! @BrittniGreenberg