I find applesauce is a catch 22. If you make it too thin, you end up with a bit of separating in the jars. Just shake it or stir it upon opening and it will be fine. Or else you make it too thick, and you end up with siphoning in the canner, and then you have the risk or weak seals. Personally I tend to make it on the thinner side - my family doesn't complain.

 

I find that whether or not I get separation in my apple sauce has to do with the kind of apples I use. If I use a high percentage of Macintosh, I get more separation, if the Macs are less than 50% of the apples, then there is not so much. Maybe Macs release more water or something? This year I did a Mac/Jonamac/gala/prairie gold applesauce and I didn't have any separation.

 

My transparent applesauce separates something fierce. It is a wet apple & bruises easily. The mac/winesap applesauce I've made shows very little separations. I bake the apples in the oven first, no additional water.

 

I just have it happen sometimes and I never worry. I just stir it or shake it up prior to serving. I like my apple sauce a medium thickness. I used different kinds of apples together.

 

Yep, it means you have a higher water content, which will make a thinner applesauce. Just open, stir, and enjoy!

 

Happens to me too, and like others I agree that it tends to depend on the type of apple and how thick/thin your sauce was before canning.

 

Thanks, I will not worry about it then. I am going to pop open a jar tonight to make applesauce cake.

 

I just canned some today and it also separated. Not a problem there, but it really overflowed the jars while processing. To the point where the sides of the jars need to washed off. The jars sealed despite running a spatula around the contents and even tapping them on the counter before processing, they have lots of little bubbles. So are the bubbles OK?

 

You know, I am noticing that my jars really overflowed during the water bath too, they basically have no head space in them, and some of them have tiny bubbles , too. I *think* it is okay if they are sealed properly, pop when you open them, and the bubbles aren't moving. I swear I have the most trouble with applesauce...

 

When I cook up a batch of apple sauce I wrap up in a muslin cloth (cheese cloth) all the skins and the entire cores to help add more pectin to the sauce and this normally stops the separation to happen. MM