simple homemade applesauce

Have you ever made applesauce? It's the easiest thing ever, and so worth the little bit of effort you put into it.

Back in the day, I used to pick apples from any tree offered, but now I'm lazy. I admit, there was something special about using local McIntosh apples, but honestly, buying the huge, beautiful apples at the store is so much easier. Peeling one big Honeycrisp gives you about the same amount of apple as peeling four of the little home grown fellas.

These days, I'm all about getting the most bang for my peeling buck.

I know.

Lame.

Let's just pretend I picked my apples off a local tree because we'll all feel much more Mother Earth News if we do.

So. This year, I used a combination of Honeycrisp, because they are the aforementioned huge, Gala, because they were on sale, and Granny Smith. I always use Granny's - they have a flavor that can't be matched for applesauce.

Peel and chop. I've used the stove top and crock pot, but this year opted for the microwave. Which is probably just adding insult to injury. Store bought apples cooked in the microwave.

I don't deserve to live on a farm.

Let's just pretend I built a fire out in the yard, hung a cast iron kettle and cooked my apples in that.

I stirred them every six minutes and after about twenty five minutes, mashed them with my potato masher. We like our sauce pretty chunky, but if you like yours smooth, an immersion blender would work really well also.

I add sugar to taste after the mashing is done, cook for just a couple more minutes, and here's the final nail in the applesauce coffin.....I don't even can my sauce. I put it in jars and freeze it.


This year, the apples did double duty. Little Miss Zailey got to pose with, (and drool on), them before they met their maker.


That alone will make this year's batch the best ever.