I’m almost embarrassed to admit that after living here for more than 10 years and with an apple orchard five minutes down the street, I have never made applesauce from scratch before until now. There wasn’t really any reason to – applesauce can easily be found in stores and is not expensive to purchase…so why bother spending time making it? Well…it’s because there is a WORLD of difference in taste between a homemade applesauce and the one that comes from a jar. With homemade applesauce, it’s like “taking a bite of a freshly picked apple” in every spoonful. Bet you can’t say the same for those bottled ones. If you have never made applesauce before, give it a try this Fall and you’ll know what I mean. Knowing this now, I’m not sure how I can ever bring myself to eat bottled applesauce again. I guess I had better make more to “stock up” while the apples are in season. :-D Next stop, the orchard!
Makes 4 cups
3 pounds apples, cut into ½-inch-thick slices
1 cinnamon stick
2 to 4 tablespoons sugar
¾ cup water
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
The complete preparation method can be found on the Martha Stewart website.
Personal note: I used a combination of McIntosh and Yellow Delicious apples this time. Delicious!
