Nothing warms up a gray and rainy day like the smell of applesauce simmering on the stovetop. And nothing brightens up a cold February day like opening up a jar full of preserved fruit. Here is a quick and easy tutorial on how to can your own homemade applesauce.

Peel, core and slice your apples. (I love my Apple Peeler Corer Slicer!) You need 15 apples to get 2 quarts (or 4 pints or 8 cups) of applesauce.

Combine ~1 inch of water, apples, a cinnamon stick, and 1/4 cup sugar. (This is not an exact recipe – you may not need any sugar if you have really sweet apples.)

Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove cinnamon stick and mash apples with a potato masher or whisk. You could also run it through a food-mill or a blender, but I like chunky applesauce.

Fill clean, hot jars with hot applesauce, leaving 1/4″ head space. Wipe off rim of jar.

Cap with lid and place in a hot water bath for 20 minutes.

Remove from hot water bath and let sit on counter overnight. Check to see that the lids have popped down. (The popping noise of the lids after canning something is one of my all-time favorite sounds!)

Set jars aside to enjoy once apple season is over. Or attach pretty labels and give as host/hostess gifts. Eat the leftover sauce in the bottom of the pan. Take a big breath of cinnamon apple air.