I know, I know: It’s barely October, and here in the Northeast there’s nary a chill in the air (thanks, global warming!). But here is a PSA: Hanukkah begins December 10 this year. And that’s just two weeks after Thanksgiving.
In short: It’s not too early to start thinking about Hanukkah.
And if I know anything, it’s that you have probably gone apple picking or will go apple picking this month. And you will pick way too many apples. And you will ask: Now what do I do?
Make applesauce, freeze it, and save it for Hanukkah.
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The next question: Can you actually freeze applesauce? You’re not alone, I was wondering the same thing. And so I reached out to the experts to find out whether you can successfully freeze applesauce or not: my Facebook friends and Google, who unanimously agreed. Yes, you can freeze applesauce!
I also reached out to food writer Emily Paster, a Nosher contributor and author of The Joys of Jewish Preserving, to get her thoughts on the matter. She shared, “Applesauce freezes very well, so freezing is a great option for home cooks who are intimidated by canning. Just be sure to leave plenty of room in your freezer-safe container for expansion.”
OK, there you have it: If you are scared of canning and picked a lot of apples, make some applesauce and freeze it for those Hanukkah latkes. Two additional recommendations: Several friends I polled suggest adding some pear to the mix, which sounds delightful. And Peter Shelsky of Shelsky’s of Brooklyn recommends freezing the applesauce in Ziploc bags so that the applesauce can lay flat in your freezer. Just make sure not to overfill the bag.
Go forth and make sauce. Here are some recipes to try:
Pear Applesauce from Taste of Home
Slow Cooker Applesauce Recipe from The Spruce Eats
Crockpot Peach Applesauce from Recipes that Crock
