Tutorial Tuesday: Applesauce!

This is barely a tutorial. We go through gallons of applesauce around here because it is one of the foods Lincoln will eat--we serve it up plain, in smoothies, with graham crackers...it appears in at least one meal a day. So, since we go through so much, I decided to try making my own. To be honest, I don't know that it saves that much money. Applesauce is pretty cheap. But, I was able to make it with organic apples that were on sale, so this particular batch may have saved us a few cents. But, I was amazed with how easy it was to duplicate the store bought variety. We buy the barebones, apples plus nothing else kind of applesauce, so it wasn't rocket science trying to figure out a formula, though (though, should we need one, we do have a rocket scientist in residence....ahahahahaha!). It even had the same consistency as the jarred variety. Success!

Easy Applesauce

(sorry for the blurry picture...it looked clear on the camera screen, so I didn't take another...)

1.  Peel and core 4 medium apples.  If you don't plan to add sweeteners, don't use a tart apple like Granny Smith.  I used organic Gala.  I hear Golden Delicious are also really sweet.

2.  Cut into chunks and place in a medium sauce pan.  Add enough water to cover.

3.  Simmer of medium-low heat for 20 minutes, or until soft.  I added a bit of lemon juice to prevent the apples from browning.

4.  Cool in the pan.  The water should absorb into the apples.  

5.  Place apples in food processor and blend.  You've done it!  Homemade applesauce!

The Monkey's Mama actually posted that she delved into homemade applesauce recently as well.  Her batch looks mighty tasty and much more flavorful than mine, so maybe we'll hear her recipe in a future tutorial : )

Enjoy!