Applesauce

Growing up, I have distinct memories of making applesauce with mom and my sister. The sweet smell of the warm apples and cinnamon were reason enough to spend all that time washing, cutting, and boiling the apples down. Mmm! If you have never had warm applesauce, you don't know what your missing. Even if you try to heat it up in the microwave after the fact, it's just not the same as when it is fresh.

So, to my delight, I had a good friend offer to let me pick some apples from their tree. I took two five-gallon buckets worth, and mom and I worked on washing and quartering them, after removing any spots. Then the apples are put on to boil with a little bit (1/2 cup or so) of water in the bottom of the pan. They have to be cooked on low and stirred frequently so they don't burn. When the apples are tender, I just ran them through the Victorio Straino, and SHEBAM, applesauce!! I added about three cups of sugar and 1/4 cup cinnamon for flavor. Maybe I put in more... I didn't exactly measure... just kept tasting until I liked it!

From start to finish, it took about 3 1/2 hours. I still need to divide them out into freezer bags, but the (worst, most time consuming) part is done. I can't wait to enjoy it throughout the year!