Always start by making sure you have 6 clean and sterilized pint jars, lids, and bands ready. You don’t want all your hard work to be wasted on dirty jars.

Peel and core apples. (An old fashioned apple peeler/corer is an essential tool for all apple cooking. If you don’t have one, get one.)

Cut the apples into small chunks and then add to a large pot with the water. The water will prevent the apples from sticking to the bottom of your pot.

Cover and heat the pot to boil. Cook the apples for 5-20 minutes to soften.

After softened, use a blender to puree the apples. You may wish to transfer all the apples into a second container prior to blending so that you can pour the pureed apples back into the empty pot after you are done.

Mix the sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon into the pureed apples.

Using a jar funnel and ladle fill your pint jars to approximately 1/2 inch on the rim and then seal them with a lid and band.

Finally, put your jarred applesauce into your water bath canner of boiling water for 12-15 minutes. Remove and let cool naturally to create a vacuum seal.