Homemade applesauce tastes incredible and is one of the easiest treats to make

Making applesauce in my house is a two-person job. It starts with buying a bag of seconds from the apple guy at the farmer’s market. When we get home, we make two piles: use for sauce and save for later. We set up an assembly line. The ‘use for sauce’ pile is washed and laid out on a towel. I position myself over the compost bowl to catch the apple skins while I peel. The bare fruit is passed onto the next station manned by my husband. He cuts them into six parts to remove the carpels (the area of an apple where the seeds live.) Any brown spots or bruises are cut away. The remaining fruit gets tossed into a big Dutch oven for baking. 

SWEATER WEATHER APPLESAUCE

INGREDIENTS

• Zest and juice of 1 orange

• Zest and juice of 1 lemon

• 15-20 ‘seconds’ apples from the farmer’s market

• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

• 1/2 stick of butter 

• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground allspice

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

2. Zest and juice the orange and lemon into a large oven-proof pot.

3. Peel, quarter, and core the apples and toss them in the juice. Add the brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. Cover the pot and place in the oven. After an hour remove the pot from the oven. Take the lid off and stir the apples with a whisk until smooth. Bonus: your kitchen should be smelling really good!

4. If it’s too runny, bake for 15 more minutes or until desired consistency.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

This applesauce is delicious on top of toast, pancakes, oatmeal, or as a side with grilled pork chops.