Applesauce

This weekend, my husband and I drove upstate to the apple orchards to pick our own apples. It was a beautiful fall day and we certainly got a workout carting around all those bags. Apple farmers in New York state didn't fare well this year, but we were luckily able to find almost every variety of apple we were looking for. I had in mind I wanted to get apples to make homemade applesauce, try my hand at an apple pie or apple crisp, and a get few extra ones for snacking during the week. For that reason, we picked a variety of tart and sweet apples. Empire, Rome, Cortlandt, Macintosh, Red Delicious, and Fujis overflowed from our bags and came together to make a very delicious applesauce this morning.

Think making applesauce from scratch is hard? Think again! If you get the right mix of apples, you don't need to add any additional sweetener. Just pure, delicious apples fresh from the orchard.

Ingredients

• Apples (try at least 2 - 3 different kinds - more if you got 'em!)
• lemon juice (optional)

1. Wash the apples and core, if needed. (I cut around the core with a knife, but you can use a corer tool. No need to core if you are going to use a food mill, though.)
2. Slice all the apples. (If your apples will be sitting out, try squirting a bit of lemon juice on them and mix around to prevent them from browning.)
3. Heat about an inch or so of water in a large stock pot.
4. Add the apples and bring to a simmer; simmer until the apples are soft.
5. Use a slotted spoon to add the apples to a food mill*** (or the grinder/strainer attachment on a stand mixer); use the mill to puree the apples and leave the skins and seeds behind. Discard the skins and seeds.
6. Store applesauce in the refrigerator in airtight containers for up to 2 weeks. (Feel free to serve with some ground cinnamon; you could also add some nutmeg and a few ground cloves!)

***What do you do if you don't have a food mill? You could peel all your apples by hand, and after softening them in the pot, remove them with a slotted spoon to puree in a blender or food processor.

I used about a peck and a half to make this applesauce
(the rest I saved for some baked goodies!)

I core my apples by slicing the sides off around it.

As I slice my apples and toss them in the pot,
I squirt a bit of lemon juice in there and mix it
around to prevent the apples from browning.
It shouldn't affect the taste of your applesauce.

Your apples should be mushy enough to mash
when pressed down with a spoon.

I used the fine grinding blade on my food mill.

The rich delicious applesauce comes out the bottom
while the skins are left behind in the mill.



Our applesauce wound up having a pink tint
because some of our Rome apples had these cute
little red veins running through the flesh of the apple.

My peck and a half of apples made about 5 quarts and 1 pint of applesauce.

NOTE THIS RECIPE IS SAFE FOR CANNING.