This weekend was the first weekend of pick-your-own apples at a local orchard. After an awesome lunch at Hot Dog Johnny's, we headed over to the orchards to take Sydney and Violet on their very first apple picking excursion.
We picked about 10 pounds of beautiful Gala apples. The girls couldn't wait to get into them and ate two on the car ride home. Once home, I was left with the predicament of finding something to do with all those apples. I decided to make one of the girls' favorite things - applesauce.
After peeling and slicing the ten pounds of apples, I threw them in a pot with a little water and a few pieces of lemon peel and brought the mixture to a boil.
Once the apples were tender, I pureed them in a blender with just a little of the cooking liquid. I returned the pureed apples to the pot and added sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and the juice of half a lemon. I allowed the mixture to simmer for about 15 minutes and let it cool. Sydney at a bowl warm with a pat of butter. It was delicious and so fresh tasting. I think she really liked seeing the whole process - picking the apples, cooking them and then eating the final product. I could see a sense of pride in her as she ate the applesauce and talked about how she picked them herself (with a little help from Violet, of course).
Homemade Applesauce
10 lbs apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 - 1 cup sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 lemon
Place apples in a large pot and add enough water to just come up to the top of the apples - do not cover. Using a vegetable peeler, peel four pieces of lemon rind and place in the pot with the apples. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender. About 15 minutes.
Working in batches, transfer the cooked apples to a blender and puree until smooth (be sure to remove the lemon peel). I used a slotted spoon to transfer the apples and added just a small amount of the cooking liquid to puree. Transfer the puree to a bowl. Once all the apples are pureed, discard the remaining cooking liquid and return the applesauce to the pot. Return the pot to the heat and stir in sugar, to taste (I only needed about 3/4 cup sugar for my apples), cinnamon and nutmeg. Juice half the lemon and add that to the pot as well. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Serve warm with a pat of butter or some cream or refrigerate.
The next time I make this, I think I will cook the apples with a stick or two of cinnamon to really impart the cinnamon flavor.
1 comment:
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