Country fun in a jar: making apple sauce with children

Ann-Kathrin Schäfer

7/9/2025

Translation: machine translated

Pictures: Ann-Kathrin Schäfer

Do you know how easy it is to make your own apple sauce? And how good it tastes? I didn't know until recently. But now I don't want to go back.

I haven't lived in Berlin or Zurich for some time now, but in a village in the centre of the country. This new life in the countryside has given me a few culture shocks as well as an old apple tree in the garden. Nevertheless, I didn't immediately come up with the idea of making apple sauce from the tart-tasting apples that grow there.

Although I really like apple sauce, I have always bought it ready-made in a jar. I only came up with the idea of making it myself when a relative visited us. He lives in a big city but grew up in the countryside - maybe that's the explanation. When he sees all the apples around the tree, he makes short work of it and quickly collects them all. The dining table and kitchen are transformed into a production facility: the relative peels, slices, cooks and bottles. The children join in enthusiastically.

After his departure two days later, he leaves us several jars filled with apple sauce, which are eaten in no time at all. Yummy. A light goes on in my head and the children catch fire. They want to make more apple sauce with their chopping boards and knives! So I join in.

Children's tableware

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Kuhn Rikon Kinderkitchen Knife set

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Chopping boards

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Kesper Cutting board set

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Shake the apple tree

The children (and I) learn along the way how applesauce is made, from the harvest to the final product in the jar. Their favourite job is harvesting the apples with the ladder or the fruit picker.

Picking the good apples from the ground is less popular. I have the thankless job of collecting the rotten ones - and unfortunately most of them are. They end up on the compost heap or in the green bin. «Look how shrivelled they are, iiiih hihi!», the children shout. But they are organic. You can't have everything, right?

We wash the good apples. We spread chopping boards, sharp knives, children's knives and bowls on the table. The best apples are displayed in a bowl on the dining table.

I peel and deseed the large, medium-sized ones. The quickest way to do this is with the seeder. I generously cut away any areas with worms. The children cut the apples into pieces and collect them in a bowl. To prevent them from browning too quickly, we sprinkle them with a little lemon juice (just a little, otherwise the apple sauce will be too sour).

Attention, ready, apple sauce

I didn't realise how easy it is to make your own applesauce. My relative explained it to me: put the chopped apples in a pan, add a little water and simmer for 15 minutes. Add a little honey, cinnamon or vanilla to taste. Then use the potato masher to mash the softly cooked apples forr a puree with chunks - or puree with the blender for a fine consistency (which my children like better). The apple sauce is ready: as a snack, as a dessert, with pancakes, with Älplermagronen.

The children eat it as a dip with almost every dish. Especially fresh and warm, it's simply delicious. I fill previously boiled storage jars with whatever is not eaten straight away. Wipe off any apple sauce residue from the edges of the jars and close the lids. Then boil down the jars for a longer shelf life. This takes half an hour in a 90-degree water bath in a saucepan - and is even easier in a steamer or oven.

Or simply order from Galaxus

Want to take part but don't have an apple tree? Ask people with a tree if you can pick their apples. Or buy a tart apple variety in the shop or at the weekly market. The store-bought ones also have fewer wormholes and you get the same DIY flavour experience.

Anyone who makes a rational cost-benefit analysis will probably be more relaxed about buying ready-made applesauce. Because I have to say: of the huge amount of apples that we peel, core and chop, only a fraction remains when cooked. It takes time and a dose of idealism.

But: Homemade simply tastes better! Probably because you're so proud of it. What's more, a homemade apple sauce jar makes a better gift than a shop-bought one, let's be honest. Especially to city dwellers - as a little souvenir from the countryside.

Baby books

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Shake the apple tree - A hands-on book

German

29

Ann-Kathrin Schäfer

Editor freelance

simon.balissat@digitecgalaxus.ch

I'm really a journalist, but in recent years I've also been working more and more as a pound cake baker, family dog trainer and expert on diggers. My heart melts when I see my children laugh with tears of joy as they fall asleep blissfully next to each other in the evening. They give me inspiration to write every day - they've also shown me the difference between a wheel loader, an asphalt paver and a bulldozer. more

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