15) Applesauce

A few weeks ago we woke up on a beautiful Fall Sunday morning and had no particular plans, so I made the very wise decision (if I might say so myself) to go pick apples. We took the trip out to our favorite spot, Larriland Farm, and found they had lots of ripe apples for picking. We picked mostly Empire Apples, which according to our friends at Larriland are a great multi-purpose apple and we picked a lot of them. So our first job when we got home was to make applesauce. I used to make applesauce all the time when the girls were babies just starting to eat solids. For some reason we haven't made it since even though the girls still both love applesauce.

We started by washing the apples, a perfect job for the Bee. As she washed, I peeled the apples, cored then and cut them into chunks. We then put the apples (about 10 mediums sized) into a large soup pot with one cup of water. We let the apples cook down over medium-high heat for about 30 minutes, until the apples were fork tender and most of the water had been cooked off. I then took the pot off the stove and let it cool a little before giving the Bee a potato masher and letting her go to town. She smushed and mushed until the apples were a pretty smooth consistency. We then added a little cinnamon, one teaspoon of light brown sugar, and a little lemon juice. When I used to make it for the babies I would just do the apples and maybe a little cinnamon, so the sugar and lemon juice are definitely optional but to me there is just something about apples and brown sugar that is soooo good. The applesauce has been a hit with everyone and we made a batch large enough for us to all enjoy for a few days (or you can also freeze it.)