Apple Sauce.. for FREE!!

AHHH..That caught your attention did it??  How? I got the apples from my orchard. I also could have gotten the windfallen ones from town all up and down Gilman BLVD. Or asked numerous neighbors for their apples they are letting stay on the trees. It's amazing how much food is wasted!

Ok, now on to applesauce. I am limited on what I can do with being sick and in soo much pain. But hubby put the 4 bushels of apples into smaller bags so I could lift them. I am so happy and he and baby girl got the orchard finished so we could put up apples. YUMMY!

I already made apple butter with the first harvest. This bunch will be made into apple sauce and apple leather. I am saving the best apples aside for apple pie for Thanksgiving.
Super easy. I washed the apples, peeled them and quarted them, cored them and cut them smaller and put them in the crock pot. Then I splashed some lemon juice over the top and set it to high. I rotate the crocks every half hour to avoid burned or hot spots. I just stirred the first crock, it only took 3 hours to cook!!  So then because the apples are tart, I am leaving them that way, the kids can add sugar and cinnamon as wanted when they eat it.  I will use the potatoe masher to mash up any that didn't fall apart on their own, and then ladle into pint jars and process about 20 minutes.

Apples with a splash of lemon juice.

EASY! I sat at the table peeling, chopping and then tossed the apples into my removable crocks. I didn't want to use my food mill.. Saw no need to, I just peeled the apples. The peelings and cores will go to the chickens. BUT the chickens were not appreciative of the peelings and literally just spread them all over the place in their outside yard. Dorks.

Apples, lemon juice and cinnamon sticks cooking down. REMOVE cinnamon before canning.

Don't forget to label.

I got nice thick applesauce that we can eat or bake with. I am sooooo happy!!