making jam yourself is stupidly expensive.

[ToniAlto]

We've got a glut of apples so started investigating the internet and adding to basket all the bits and pieces I think I'd need.

I've come to the conclusion that each jar of applesauce would be roughly £12, obviously reducing if I store and reuse the jars and equipment for the next ten years.

AIBU to think that home made jam/sauce is stupidly expensive.

If you just want apple to make crumbles and pies I'd do what others have suggested and stew the fruit with a bit of water and sugar and freeze. (My tip is to freeze in small quantities and then you can mix with frozen berries and add a frozen crunchy ready cooked crumble topping - I like the gluten free one in the 'Eat well for less' cookbook - and microwave an individual portion).

I have tried 'canning' the fruit in kilner jars in a water bath in the oven and they just boiled over the top of the jars so I've given up on it! I only tend to use apples in preserves either in chutneys, mincemeat or the juice in things like apple and orange jelly (lovely, like marmalade but without the peel) or chilli and pepper jelly, basically where you need a bland background jelly. You can freeze the juice until you want to use it.

Do people really add sugar to apple sauce? I just cook mine down with a little water. Mind you, I don't then do anything with it apart from eat it. Bramley apples are very hard to get mind you. Maybe it's different with eating apples.Sorry for the pondering derail. As you were.

I used sugar yesterday as they were extremely tart bramlys but I really depends on which apples you are using and how tart you want them.

All this talk about tart Bramleys and when and why people add sugar reminds me of when DS3 was about 3ish, he came in to the room telling me that 'this apple isn't nice mummy'.

He'd taken a Bramley out of the fruit bowl to be fair he gave it a good go before he gave up!

www.amazon.co.uk/Westmark-Food-Mill-White-35-5/dp/B0002HOR1E/ref=mp_s_a_1_8?keywords=food+mill&qid=1667601158&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI0LjExIiwicXNhIjoiMy42MyIsInFzcCI6IjMuMzEifQ%3D%3D&sr=8-8

^¬
I have one of these to make my apple sauce. Had it about 15 years but tbh we do live in Canada and it was cheaper.

I love this. Also reminds me of the fact that my dad, for years, totally failed to distinguish between Seville oranges and normal ones. My mum would get them to make marmalade and he'd help himself to one for his work lunchbox. It only came to light when he started explaining learnedly that January oranges taste very bitter, what with the cold days and all.

SarahAndQuack; my DH did this-in his early 20's he went on holiday to Spain with his mates, and was delighted to find orange trees lining the streets. So of course he picked an orange.........once!