Applesauce ~ Another Produce Plus

For my family there is nothing better than homemade applesauce with apples fresh from produce group, and it is so easy to do! If you want chunky applesauce, use a potato masher to mash the cooked apples. If you prefer smooth apple sauce, run the cooked apples through a food mill. The key is adding a few strips of lemon peel to the apples while cooking. The lemon heightens the apple flavor.

Applesauce – my way

Preparation time: 45 minutes. The sugar amounts are just guidelines, depending your taste, and on the sweetness of your apples, use less or more. If you use less sugar, you'll likely want to use less lemon juice. The lemon juice brightens the flavor of the apples and balances the sweetness.

3 to 4 lbs of peeled, cored, and quartered apples. Exactly what I got a produce group this week

1 strips of lemon peel

Juice from lemon, about 1 Tbsp

3 inches of cinnamon stick or 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

1/8 cup of dark brown sugar

up to 1/8 cup of white sugar

3/4 cup of water

Method

1 Put all ingredients into a large pot. Cover. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

2 Remove from heat. Remove cinnamon sticks and lemon peels.  Let the apples cool and mash to the texture your family loves.