I was enlightened about the fact that she used to can jars and jars of applesauce. I think apples were pretty easy to come by back in the day. Everyone had assorted fruit trees in their backyards. I remember that we had a prolific producing pear tree. People didn't spray their fruit trees back then, nor did they spray their yards for weeds and dandelions. The apples I remember from my childhood were not the HUGE apples of today. They had blemishes and the occasional worm hole. Another difference was that they tasted tart and tangy and delicious. They weren't mushy and flavorless and disappointing.
My brother let me know that when he and my other brothers were just little guys that the applesauce was a big treat. He said their favorite dessert was a dish my Mom often served them. Graham crackers and applesauce topped with fresh homemade whipping cream. I personally don't ever remembering eating such a yummy combination. The conversation made me want to try that delightful sounding concoction. Crunchy honey flavored crackers, tart tangy applesauce and velvety sweet cream...
Well, it's apple season and I've had that on my mind for a month or so now. I have been getting some really great apples in my CSA box for the last couple of weeks. Not enough to make applesauce, though. And...I did make a ridiculously good apple pie with the CSA apples as well as the yumville apple tarts with puff pastry. I was thinking I'd head up to the farm stand and buy some of those nice Gala apples. I figured they'd be good for applesauce. Instead...over the weekend my delightful neighbor Adam handed me a very large grocery bag filled with the no spray apples from his yard! Booyah!
These apples look and taste like the ones from my childhood! Kind of small and firm and lightly blemished and with a few worm holes here and there. Small apples, big taste! They are really delish!
Adam has several fruit trees besides the apple trees. He has pears and a couple of varieties of plums. The plums are crazy good. They are a deep dark fleshy red plum and totally full of sticky sweet juice. We have been the lucky recipient of several bags of these goodies growing in his yard. I am trying soooo hard not to let them go to waste. It is challenging to stay on top of all this amazing produce before the life cycle ends! Partner with your neighbors and friends people! I mean, free produce is free produce! Other than my "hard" labor this applesauce is FREE!
I was staring at this lovely colander full of apples and calculating the time it would take me to peel and core and chop these apples. It wouldn't be fast. Then...I realized...we may be the only people on the planet without an apple peeler. You know those things that granny used to have clamped onto a table?! So, I got online and did a quick search and decided it would be worth the time and investment to go buy one. They ranged in price from about $20.00 to $70.00. I decided I'd go with the $20.00 model just in case I decided making applesauce was lame...
This one just suction cups to your counter. For twenty bucks I'm pretty pleased. You get several options. Peel only...peel and core only or peel, core and slice! I did the old "Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn" trick and told Hubs how much fun it was and how I wasn't sure I wanted him to do it. Worked like a charm! He did the whole bowl of apples for me :) I am so glad we got this contraption. It would have taken forever to do it by hand. I got thinking...I sure hope my Mom had one of these!
It takes a lot of apples to make applesauce. I bet my Mom was literally slaving in the kitchen for hours and hours while a bunch of "rag a muffin" little boys ran through the house! Such time and commitment to have bottles and bottles of this precious sauce to delight her little family with all winter long.
Pretty cool, huh?
So...I'm sharing my recipe. Apples...yes, that's it. Oh, and a little bit of water so they don't stick while cooking them to get them soft. I perused several applesauce recipes. You can get really fancy with applesauce. Besides adding sugar you could add maple syrup or cinnamon and nutmeg. There are so many combos. I decided for my first ever applesauce experience I would just keep it simple and clean. Yep...just apples. I also figured if I made the graham cracker applesauce surprise it would be plenty sweet anyway. I want to have some to serve the Sprouts as well and I didn't want them to have the unnecessary sugar this time around. I may get a bit more adventurous before the end of apple season.
I covered the awesome apple rings with a lid and cooked them until tender. I transferred them to the food processor and turned them into sauce. Then, they go back in the pan and come to a boil. It couldn't be any easier but it does take some time.
Is it just me, or is this the most beautiful color of applesauce ever?! The applesauce from the store seems kind of a blah brownish color...This really does look fresh and light and golden! It's kind of thickish, too. I think it will sit up on a graham cracker pretty nicely...
So, this is the reality. That big ole bowl of apples only made 2 quarts and 1 pint. Would I take the time to do it again? Absolutely! I mean look at this stuff! It's gorgeous! (Especially now that I have my $20.00 peeler)...I really, really hope my Mom had a peeler...
Since we were on a roll and having such a fun time with the nicely sliced apples, Hubs suggested we dehydrate some. Ohhhhh...great idea! And...super easy if you don't want to take on the applesauce. (I think you should, though).
Aren't these adorable! We dried four racks of assorted apples we scrounged up around the house. I am definitely making more of these. They taste really tart, tangy and fresh. I tried them out on the Sprouts today and they gave me a thumbs up!
Once again I feel that huge sense of satisfaction. I'm excited to introduce my family to a "family" recipe I didn't even know existed. My canning journey has been such a delight and with the surprise bonus of some family history, long forgotten recipes and lovely memories of my sweet Mother! What more could I ask!
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