Free apples are the best!
I have a few friends who invite me to take their windfalls....and I take advantage of the invitation.
Linda C

I've always liked Golden Delicious for making apple sauce.

I think actually any apple will make good applesauce. My grandmother always used Rome apples because they are so mealy but I actually prefer a crisper, more tart apple. I have a yellow delicious and a red delicious in my back yard garden and both are good for all kinds of things, including applesauce. I think the kind of apple you pick for applesauce is just a matter of personal taste. And yes, freezing is fine if you're cooking the apples to soften them and not just whirring the raw apples around in a food processor.

I freeze apple slices and the way I keep them from darkening in the freezer is that I slice them into water that has about a tablespoon of canning salt to about a gallon of water. Before I freeze I strain off the water and then I pack them in gallon freezer bags. They are great for cooking or for eating frozen. They do turn light brown and watery if thawed completely, but the water is apple juice, so if you had an abundance of apples and wanted to make juice, you could probably freeze apples and then thaw them and get juice quite easily that way.

Thanks, guys....I always use whatever is convenient too, but if I'm buying, which is my only source, then I can pick and choose. I wonder about Honey Crisp. They are a little tart, not as much as Granny Smith, and are good to eat. I always thought the sweeter apples don't cook up as well, is that right? And...I often mix tart and sweeter and then I can never remember what I used. I have never had any that wasn't good though.

Thanks,
Jude

The best applesauce apples in the world (universal agreement by all who know them)are the first apples of the year--Yellow Transparents. They come in in my zone 6 in early July. I've never seen them in stores, only at orchards. Next best is Paula Reds, which are the next apples to come in.

Years ago I lived in suburban NCY, in a development that was a former apple orchard. We had about 20 trees -- about 19.5 too many! Most were McIntosh, and I learned then how to make applesauce out of these freebies -- and after we moved, always bought Macs for applesauce.

A few years ago, when Macs weren't available, the lady at the orchard suggested I try a bag of their "mixed culls." She said that every day they go through their bags of premium apples and pull out any that are bruised or getting soft, and sell them at a discount price in half-bushel bags. I tried them and made the best applesauce we've ever had -- very sweet (with no added sugar) and quite pink.

Arlene

I love homemade applesauce and think it is highly under rated by most folks. When I can find them I like Stayman's for applesauce and apple butter. But really, a good mix of apples, tart and sweet, is good for sauce as it is for apple pie. I like some cinnamon in my applesauce and leave it slightly chunky. I will buy Rome, Jonathan, and Golden Delicious to mix if I can get them.

Try a little grated fresh lemon peel in your applesauce after you cook it. It adds a bright citrusy note.

Teresa

I grow Gingergolds and they make superb sauce. Gravenstein also.