Homemade apple sauce

There is nothing like homemade apple sauce this time of year.  You can make it all start to finish- including picking the apples- in a few hours and have natural, no preservative filled apple sauce to last you the rest of the year.

I didn't pick the apples we used for this batch.  Although it's picking season here, I picked up a bag at the Public Market to use.  For $5 for a 1/2 bushel (about 20 pounds!!) we had enough to make two batches of apple sauce with a dozen apples left over for eating.

This recipe is not only delicious, but the house smells heavenly for the rest of the day!

INGREDIENTS

12 apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped

3 cups water

1 cup white sugar (brown works too!)

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

DIRECTIONS

After peeling and coring the apples, roughly chop them (into 3-4 pieces is fine).  Mix all ingredients together in a large pot and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

After 20 minutes the apples should be very soft.  You can mash them to desired consistency either with a fork or a potato masher.  Store for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator, or up to a year in the freezer. 

VERDICT

  

So easy.  So good.   Why buy the jarred stuff?