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Apple butter/applesauce canning #812648

Asked September 29, 2022, 3:37 PM EDT

I picked apples at a u-pick orchard last week, but there weren't many apples on the trees, and the ones I was able to pick are underripe (they are Macintosh apples but still mostly green, with some blushing color). I wanted to make apple butter or applesauce out of them. My questions: 1. Is it OK to can underripe apples in apple butter or applesauce? Is there any safety concern (acidity, etc) regarding ripeness? 2. I have stored them in my pantry (dark, room temperature) for a week since being picked. Is there any concern about canning apples that have been stored that way? If there are any reasons I should be concerned, I figured I could make applesauce and freeze it instead of canning. Thank you!

Clackamas County Oregon

Expert Response

Thanks for contacting Ask Extension. It is OK to home can under ripe apples into apple butter or applesauce if you follow a tested recipe published by the National Center for Home Food Preservation, the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, or a cooperative Extension Service, including the OSU Home Food Preservation Program. Under ripe apples have a lower acidity level (pH 3.2), compared to ripe apples (pH 3.9), so there is not a food safety concern in this case. You may want to add a little additional sugar and/or cook the fruit for a bit longer than is specified in the recipe to achieve the desired taste or texture. The storage conditions that you describe are not ideal but should not affect the degree of safety in the short term. Recommended storage conditions for apples include a temperature range between freezing and below 40 degrees F, and a high humidity level.

National Center for Home Food Preservation:


https://nchfp.uga.edu


The USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning:


USDA's Complete Guide to Home Canning | National Institute of Food and Agriculture


OSU Home Food Preservation Program:


https://extension.oregonstate.edu/food/preservation





An Ask Extension Expert Replied October 03, 2022, 12:06 PM EDT

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