For the 5th straight day in a row my head has been killing me! Now that I have my complaining out of the way, let's talk apples and sauce.
The neighbor brought over some apples yesterday along with a HUGE piece of homemade apple pie! Her husband always squawks at her for giving me a piece of his favorite pie. Let me tell ya, he hasn't met a pie he doesn't like and neither have I. Now my arse on the other hand, well it really doesn't need the extra layer of insulation, but non the less, I ate the piece of pie (and wished for another).
The secret is her crust and she has had some practice. She has baked a pie every other day or every third day for the past 55 years. How many pies do you think she has baked so far? And you thought word problems were such a waste of time. Well the answer is C: A (bleeping) lot.
In addition to the pie, she gave me about 10 apples from a local non-commercial orchard. They were labeled, "soft, excellent for sauce," but the variety remains a mystery. I'll let you know if the label was correct.
I usually peel and core my apples when making applesauce, but my neighbor advised me to keep the skins on because, "they add color and fiber." True on both counts. "The farmer doesn't use bug spray either," she added.
Applesauce
Large stock pot with about 1 inch of water in the bottom
10 apples, chopped and peeled or not
Boil apples, reduce heat and cook till tender
Remove from heat, let cool slightly
Once slightly cooled, puree to desired texture using a blender or food processor
Transfer pureed apples back to stockpot, low heat
Add sugar and cinnamon to taste OR try cloves, nutmeg, vanilla, allspice, mace, other pureed fruits
If you are going to can your applesauce follow your canning directions. I am going to freeze this batch.
Note: If you like your applesauce chunky, peel the apples and use a potato masher to mash.
Happy Fall!
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