It’s officially Fall! If you read my last post, you know I’m not terribly excited about this change in seasons; however, Fall does have its own set of perks. One perk is our annual trip to a great local orchard for apple picking! Last year was our first apple picking adventure and despite the cold and windy weather that day, we quickly decided to make it a tradition! My husband will go to the pumpkin patch with us, but he leaves the apple picking to the ladies. Want to know a secret? As much as I love outings as a family, I’m really okay with this being the exception! Why? Because I cherish having a tradition with just Hailey, a stepmom/stepdaughter day we can look forward to every year and one that will be stored in our memory banks for quite some time! On our way home from picking apples and exploring the market, she said “you’re the best stepmom ever!”. It doesn’t take a huge effort to hear these words from Hailey and I can only hope that continues as she gets older; the little things in life matter most and it’s amazing how aware and appreciative she is of them. She’s growing into such a beautiful young lady; however, if anyone knows how to make her 6 again I’m all ears 🙂

Last year we picked mostly golden delicious apples, but with the chilly weather experienced during our first outing we decided to go a bit earlier this year! We headed out with intentions of picking Pixie Crunch apples only to find out those were too popular the day before and no longer open for picking. So instead we picked dark red, crunchy Jonathan apples which worked out perfectly, because they make excellent chunky applesauce!

I get the feeling most people don’t know how truly easy it is to make applesauce. Not long ago, I was one of these said people! After our first trip to the orchard, I quickly had to ask myself ‘what am I going to do with all of these apples?’ In addition to making apple crisp (another easy and delicious apple treat), I decided to ask my Grandma how to make applesauce, because she makes batches of sauce every year and it’s amazing! Our Jonathan apples made great sauce and last year I used the golden delicious, which worked well too! The Fruit farm we go to for picking has a helpful guide on their website telling you the best uses for each apple variety. Oh…and even though we didn’t get to actually pick the Pixie Crunch apples, we did purchase some from the market by the orchard; they are SO good! Sweet and crunchy, a perfect apple for eating raw! If you come across any at your local farmer’s market, I highly recommend trying them! I may or may not be making another trip to the market to get more… 🙂

We also bought the most delicious apple cider at the market! I’ve never made homemade cider so I decided to add that to my list this Fall. A crockpot version for warm apple cider sounds perfect on a chilly weekend. Stay tuned for that! Now let’s make some applesauce! Double or triple the recipe below as needed; applesauce freezes very well! Enjoy!

Homemade Applesauce

Ingredients

• 4-5 Apples (peeled, cored and chopped)
• 3/4 Cup water, or just enough to cover the apples in the saucepan
• 1/8 Cup sugar (Apple variety will affect amount. Add more based on preference; I suggest taste testing as you add!)
• 1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon (or more if you’re like me and love cinnamon!)

Instructions

1. In a saucepan, combine apples and water.
2. Cover and cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are soft.
3. Gradually stir in sugar, tasting to test.
4. Allow to cool, then mash with a fork or potato masher. You can also mix in a blender or food processor to reach desired texture and consistency.
5. Sprinkle with cinnamon and enjoy! Keep refrigerated or freeze some for later use!

As always, thanks for reading!