Homemade Applesauce

I am posting this recipe tonight in honor of Zech and my late afternoon job today.  The picture below shows only 1 loader bucket full of apples that had fallen on the ground.  We ended up having 3 loader buckets full of apples that the sows graciously ate.  They love the sweet treat!  After almost 2 hours of picking up the apples we were........DONE!  One of the trees still has lots and lots of apples on it so I'm sure we will be picking up more apples in our future.  

Who loves homemade applesauce?   We do!  

I've never, ever bought applesauce from the store and don't ever plan to either.  

In mid-July, my yellow transparent apples were ready to be harvested so Ashli and I set out to picking the apples.  Yellow transparent apples make wonderful applesauce.  They cook down very nicely and have a great taste!  I also have a McIntosh apple tree that also makes wonderful applesauce and those apples are usually ready in late August to September.

Zech & Kate were a huge help in peeling the apples with the apple peeler and setting them in water until the pan was full enough to start cooking.  

Once the pan is full of sliced apples, I drain the water from the pan leaving just enough water in the bottom to cover the bottom of the pan.  Add sugar according to your taste and the size of the pan.  I think I added 4-6 cups of sugar to my largest stock pot.  Cook on medium heat stirring occasionally.  Cook until apples are tender and cooked down to desired consistency.  

Jeff doesn't like chunky applesauce so I run the cooked apples through a blender to make it baby food smooth.  

Once the applesauce is cooled I transfer it to my "Dutch" tupperware which is also known as cool whip containers that I save.  :)  Those containers are the perfect size for a meal and stack nicely in the freezer.  We prefer to freeze our applesauce rather than canning it.  

If you are interested in making applesauce, I can hook you up with some apples.  :)  Just get in touch with me, seriously!  The apples are free if you come and pick them.  

Have fun and enjoy a "pork chop and applesauce" ~Peter Brady from the Brady Bunch TV show