GET SAUCED!

Wondering what I did with a bushel of apples? I turned a large portion of it into homemade apple sauce! This is incredibly easy to make (if you have the right gadgets) and it tastes a thousand times better than store-bought sauce. Light on the sugar, heavy on the cinnamon, and a natural apple taste.

You’ll need:

5lbs apples
1/4 brown sugar (optional)
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 - 1 cup water
A food mill

Method:

Chop apples (into 1/8ths works), leaving in the stems, core and pits.

Add apples to large pot and add 1/2 cup water, cinnamon and brown sugar (if using). I say the sugar is optional because you don’t REALLY need it, but I find that using just a quarter cup takes out a bit of the apple-y tang. The sweeter the apples, the less chance you’ll need to add sugar.
Bring to a boil, cover, and let simmer until the apples have cooked down and are mushy, about 45 minutes.

This is where the gadget comes in. To make apple sauce, you really need a food mill. If you peel and core the apples completely you may be able to just mash them with a pastry knife, but you’ll lose some of the flavor. Process the sauce in segments, pouring portions of the apples into the food mill. Churn and watch the magic happen!

I store my apple sauce in large ball jars and consume as fast as possible while it’s still fresh! It’s a great item to give as gifts around the holidays - last year I gave some to my family for Thanksgiving.

Enjoy!

(Thanks to George’s Dad for the recipe!)

10/25/11