What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of our position and work as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account of the position and work, but on account of the word and faith from which the obedience and the work flow. ~ Martin Luther

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Applesauce


Applesauce is very easy to make-in ANY quantity.

The above gizmo is called a Squeezo and was borrowed for apple season. I hope to get one for my birthday (hint, hint Mattie!!!) or Mother's Day-whatever. I have made applesauce the 'old fashioned' way and with this fancy shmancy contraption. Though the contraption makes it easier, if you don't have it, don't fret. There is just a BIT more prep work.

If you don't have the miraculous apple thingamabob, you must first peel, core and slice apples. If you DO have it-just cut wedges and throw the ENTIRE apple in the stockpot-seeds, skins and all. Add a small amount of water-just enough to layer the bottom of the pot so the apples don't stick. Cook apples until soft.

If you have already peeled, cored, and sliced the apples-you are all set. You may want to mash a bit more with a potato masher. Otherwise, you must run the cooked apples through the Squeezo.

You can be done now or you can add some sugar. I usually add about 1/4 c. per pound-rounding down. You can also add cinnamon spice to the mixture (1 t.) or a few red hot cinnamon candies (for taste AND a nice color). Bring the sauce back to a boil until the candies/sugar has dissolved.

At this point you can stick it in the fridge to cool and eventually eat. OR you can preserve it by boiling water bath by ladling the hot sauce into hot, sterilized jars and process 20 minutes (pints or quarts).

*I also enjoy making THIS variation...STRAWBERRY Applesauce. Simply mash fresh strawberries with a potato masher into your applesauce (you can do this with ANY applesauce and it doesn't have to be right after it has been cooked.) Garnish with sugared strawberry slices. It makes an elegant and easy dish-and a GOOD variation to the same old/same old! TRY IT!
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4 comments:

Mandie said...

Know what? I was just in my basement pantry last night lamenting that I don't have any homemade applesauce left. I really need to find an incredibly great deal on apples, though to make it worth it. It seems like last year, I spent a fortune on all these apples that made like 3 quarts of applesauce. Unfortunately, unless I find some fantastic deal, it's cheaper for me in Colorado to buy my applesauce. :(

Christine said...

That is awesome! I absolutely love that contraption. Blessings!

Rebecca said...

Mandie-here is a little secret that I was just let it on last year. If you go to an apple orchard and ask for 'seconds', you can get them for a few dollars a bushel! I think I paid like $3.00 for a whole BUSHEL of apples. But they won't do it unless you ask specifically. You should give it a try...because I ALMOST didn't make any myself looking at the price of the picture perfect apples...

Christine-I can only HOPE to receive such a good gift as a birthday present. Otherwise, I will definitely be borrowing it again!

Kelli said...

My mom gave me one of those contraptions a few years ago and I had no idea they were called a squeezo! Thank you so much for the recipe, I HAVE to try the strawberry applesauce, that sounds so good!
I love the picture of Corynn...too cute!

Kelli