Abigail's Applesauce

My daughter Abigail likes to make applesauce with me, so we named this Abigail's Applesauce. Our family loves applesauce, especially this applesauce. People generally think of applesauce as a fall food, but I like to make it year round. In fact, the apples that you get in the store in spring and summer are typically from last fall's harvest. Applesauce is a perfect use for apples past their prime.

Abigail's Applesauce

• 4 lbs. organic apples, peeled and cored (about 8-10)

• 1/4 cup water

• 1/4-1/2 cup raw honey, or pure maple syrup; more or less depending on the sweetness of the apples you use

• 1/4 tsp. RealTaste Peace seasoning, or cinnamon to taste

• 1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice

1. Place apples, water, cinnamon and lemon juice in a slow cooker and mix together

2. Cook for 6-8 hours on low and 3-4 hours on high

3. Mash with a potato masher and add sweetener.

4. Store in the fridge for about a week

TIPS

The apple weight is before being cored and peeled.

The amount of sweetener needed, depends on the sweetness of your apples and personal taste. The best batch I ever made was when I accidentally poured in a bit too much Tupelo honey. It was a yummy accident!

You can also do this on the stove top, bring the water to a boil, reduce heat, cover pan and cook until soft, about 45 minutes.

The lemon juice is critical to a flavorful applesauce. If you find your applesauce is a bit bland, add another splash or two of lemon juice.

Don't throw away the peelings and cores. Use them to make apple kvass or apple cider vinegar. The above apple sauce recipe will yield enough scraps and cores to start about 3-4 quart jars of kvass or vinegar. The yield of vinegar will be about 6 cups. That may seem like a lot, but when you read some of these uses for apple cider vinegar, you'll be glad to have plenty on hand.

Make a friend with someone who has an apple tree! My friend made my day when she brought these apples to my door! She gave me some apples a few weeks before and it was the most scrumptious applesauce! We were dying for more.