Homemade goodness...Applesauce

This is how cooked, cored apples look at the start of applesauce-making.  I started doing this when our children were small.  We must have had an abundance of apples, and I had my Mom's food mill.  It was fun to do with the kids, and I couldn't get over how much better applesauce tastes when it is not processed.  Thicker, richer, and natural.  I know they have 'natural' applesauce on store shelves, but this beats it hands down.  You can peel the apples also, but I like what the skin does for the color.  The redder the apples, the redder the applesauce!  The only other ingredient I put in is cinnamon.  Maybe a 1/4 cup of water, no more.

Once the apples are cooked, you use a food mill to separate the applesauce from the peel and core.  If you cored and peeled your apples, you use the food mill to process only.  One way or the other, you have a little bit more work.  I choose to have the work part at the end, so I get the goodness of the whole apple.  Turn the crank, and applesause goes through the plate at the bottom of the mill into the bowl.  I choose the plate with the smallest holes.  Food mills can be purchase at harware stores, and at some department stores.  I found the best variety at the hardware store.

I'm almost done.  It takes very little time, under 10 minutes but I know that would vary with how many apples you are using.  I usually use 3-5 pounds of apples, or a whole bag from the produce section of the grocery store.  Or, you can mix and match.  I never use Delicious apples, because I don't like them.  Usually, I use MacIntosh, with Granny Smith apples if I have them.  Whatever crisp, firm apple you like works best.  Taste, whether sweet or tart, is up to you.  I have had applesause with sugar added, and I couldn't eat it.  It was way too sweet.  So, I never put in any sugar, only cinnamon.  It's your applesauce, so use what you and your family would enjoy.

 Here is the finished product, ready to be put in jars, to freeze or refrigerate.  Let's see how much I got.

Almost 2 quarts, and that's good.  The full one is in our freezer and the other we are enjoying.  Mostly me, but once in a while Don does have a dish.  He likes it, but he enjoys savory flavors much more than I ever will or do.  These jars did not go through the canning process, I should make that clear.  I don't can, but I will and do freeze.  Much quicker and less messy!

One last picture that shows what I had left from 3 pounds of apples.  That is it!...I started Saturday at 4:30 pm, and by 6:00 pm, I was done.  Of course, then I had to do the dishes, but it is a small price to pay for Good Eats, as Alton Brown would say, for you who watch the Food Network.  And that is Applesauce 101.