Tags
apples, applesauce, Gold Rush, high fructose corn syrup, immunity poster, North Star Orchard, preservatives, vegan
Have you ever made homemade applesauce?
The very first time I made applesauce was last fall and I was shocked at how easy it was to make (and really embarrassed that it took me over 35 years and two kids to figure this out).
Immediately after my first batch, I thought of five reasons why we should continue to make our own applesauce.
1. Apples from a local orchard make the tastiest applesauce. Here’s an example of the difference between jarred and homemade applesauce: you can’t get applesauce made from Gold Rush apples grown by North Star Orchard in any supermarket!
2. Apples are so nutritious (they are one of the 18 foods featured on the kidoing! Immunity Poster). We snack on them raw every day, but if my kids want variety, applesauce is satisfying. We also add applesauce to many of our yummy vegan baked goods.
3. My kids can take part in and see one of their favorite foods made in our own kitchen. To me, this is priceless.
Getting Kids Doing! Tip: My kids choose the apples the want me to use when I ask them to find me medium-sized apples. Older children, with supervision, may be able to cut the apples. And, of course, kids of all ages can be the taste testers along the way!
4. The aroma of applesauce cooking in our house is heavenly. It smells just like an apple pie baking, without all that work – or the sugar!
5. Homemade applesauce can be personalized to suit your tastes. You can choose:
- the apples you want to use
- whether or not to use any spices (cinnamon, star anise, chinese five spice)
- how chunky or smooth to make your applesauce
- whether or not to add a sweetener
- if you want to add other fruits such as pears to make apple-pear sauce
Most importantly: Homemade applesauce does not come with any artificial colors or artificial flavors, high fructose corn syrup or preservatives.
OK – so, I’ll stop with the yada, yada, yada and give you my version of homemade applesauce.
kidoing!’s Easy 2-Ingredient Homemade Applesauce (Cooked Version)*
4 medium-sized apples
Cinnamon (or preferred spice)
Step 1:
Wash, cut and core the apples into roughly one inch chunks and add them to your saucepan. I do not peel them because my apples are either organic or from a local orchard that grows apples without pesticides, but this is up to you.
Step 2:
Add a sprinkle of cinnamon…
and 1/4 c of water to a saucepan (and please excuse my unmanicured, weathered-looking fingers!)…
Cook on medium low for about 20 minutes until the apples are really soft. Make sure you are close by so you can inhale that sweet delicious aroma! They will be soft and look like this when done.
Step 3:
Transfer apples and juices to blender or food processor (or use an immersion blender in the saucepan). Blend until your desired consistency. Some folks like chunky; others like smooth. It’s your choice.
My kids like their applesauce really smooth. Remember when I said I leave the peel on? This is how smooth it gets – with the peel on! You can’t even tell, and we are getting the fiber from the skin.
Here’s our finished product!
I did include a lot of pictures illustrating the steps, however the actual prep work takes about 10 minutes.
I hope you try making homemade applesauce. If you do, stop back to tell me how you like it!
*This recipe is for cooked applesauce. Some of you may want to keep your apples raw, so keep stay tuned for my raw applesauce recipe.