An apple a day keeps the doctor away! And that apple can be a whole apple or apple-sauce. As long as you get the fiber into your body, you will benefit.
Apples are a good source of both soluble and insoluble fiber. Pectin is the primary soluble fiber found in apples and it’s known to bind to cholesterol, thus helping prevent heart disease and even hardening of the arteries. The insoluble fiber in apples is a delight to your intestinal tract because it will provide bulk. The more bulk you have in your diet, the more your body can rid itself of harmful chemical substances and the better you feel!
Homemade applesauce is fun to make and can release wonderful aromas in your kitchen. If you’re an applesauce lover, you may already know that applesauce has evolved from the plain old apples, water and sugar recipe of the past. Now, there are exciting twists to the standard recipe that makes eating a bowl of applesauce fun!
Applesauce is somewhat like peanut butter it can be chunky or smooth. To make a chunky applesauce, you simply mash the apples with a potato masher after cooking. To make the homemade applesauce smooth, simply blend the finished mixture in the blender. Cooking homemade applesauce can’t get much easier than that!
Below is your basic recipe for delicious homemade applesauce:
- Peel your apples. Then core them, and cut into slivers or cubes.
- In a 2-quart sauce pot, add the apples, water, sweetener (if any), and spices.
- Simmer, covered on low heat for 20 minutes or until apples are softened.
- Remove from heat and remove the spices, if large pieces were used. Mash with a potato masher or blend until smooth.
Now, assemble your ingredients and equipment. Below are three variations of homemade applesauce, with the recipe ingredients listed.
Apple Apricot Homemade Applesauce
4 apples, Golden Delicious or Fuji
3/4 cup to one cup purified water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or
1/2 teaspoon lemon peel
1 cinnamon stick
Dash of nutmeg
Apple Strawberry Homemade Applesauce
1-1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples
2 large handfuls strawberries (remove stem)
3/4 cup water
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or
1/2 teaspoon ascorbic acid crystals
Apple Peach Homemade Applesauce
8 small home-grown farmstand apples
3 ripe peaches, with pit and fuzz removed
1/3 cup honey
3/4 cup water
As you can see, it’s easy to create new ideas on your own. Basically you need fruit and water. The fruit should be ripe. The riper the fruit, the less sugar or sweetener you’ll need to add.
If you want to pack in some passion to your homemade applesauce, add some spices, usually a minimum of about 1 teaspoon per 2-quart pot. The spices to add can be from this list: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, pumpkin pie spices, lemon peel, vanilla, lavendar, basil (this gives a burst of unexpected flavor). Although flavors such as vanilla, almond, raspberry, strawberry, banana, or pineapple are not usually added to recipes, but imagine the wonderful bursts of flavor if you add any one of these! don’t go wild and add a lot; start with just 1/4 teaspoon per recipe and taste test before you add any more to the recipe.
To add a preservative, add ascorbic acid crystals or lemon juice. If you want to add a sweetener, add honey, sugar, or a sugar/brown sugar combination.
Homemade applesauce can be a very creative process! Develop your very own favorite recipe and keep its ingredients a secret for several decades. Make the process of eating a bowl of applesauce an amazing experience for your children and grandchildren.