Apple season has come to the Schell household. We have two trees and they are loaded. I wish I could tell you what variety they are, but I can’t. Mom and Dad planted the trees and they now reside in heaven making communication with them a little bit difficult. All I know is they taste delicious and I am very thankful for the good harvest. We are eating what we can, but I am also making some applesauce for later. It’s not a difficult process. Peel, dice, cook, mash. That’s all there is to it. Eat the applesauce right away, or you can freeze or preserve it in jars for later use. There are plenty of sites on the internet that can give you instruction on the safest canning process.

The following recipe does not include amounts. I do a large pot at a time which probably takes ten pounds. You can also do a small pot just for dinner with 3 or 4 apples. I sweeten according to the sweetness of the apples. It’s a taste thing and you can adjust for your liking. Cinnamon is another good addition as is any spice you would add to apple pie. Start with a half teaspoon or so. It’s the same as with the sweetness. What you like is all that is important. Experiment. You never know what your favorite will be until you try it. Applesauce made fresh is so good. I hope you try it. Enjoy!

Homemade Applesauce

Ingredients

• Apples, peeled and cut up
• Water
• Sugar, optional
• Cinnamon or other spices you enjoy

Instructions

1. Place apples in a pot and add a cup of water or so. Bring the pot to boil on medium-high heat, then reduce to medium-low and simmer until apples are tender.
2. Remove from heat. Drain and reserve juice.
3. Use a potato masher to break down the apples into a sauce. Add juice as needed to create desired consistency.
4. Stir in sugar and spice to taste

Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.

Oprah Winfrey