Apples are a wonderful fruit that are so fresh this time year. Whether eating them raw or cooked, they have a lot of health benefits. A medium apple which is 1 cup has 4 grams of fiber and only 95 calories. They are a good source of vitamin C which helps boost your immune system. Because they are full of antioxidants and soluble fiber, they help lower the risk of heart disease and lower cholesterol levels. Apples deliver an antioxidant called quercetin, which aids endurance by making oxygen more available to the lungs. So, eating an apple before a workout may boost your exercise endurance. In fact, eating “an apple a day” may very well keep the doctor away!
Want to make homemade applesauce for your family without any added sugars? Let me start by telling you about the Victorio Food Strainer, if you don’t have one, get one. It is a great tool for making homemade sauces and purees and lets you avoid the peeling and coring step of this process. If you do not have a food strainer like this, you will need to peel, cut and core your apples before cooking.
This is really such an easy process and if you live in Ohio like me, a quick trip to the local orchard can bring you home a large bushel of apples at a reasonable price! But on to the applesauce!
Start by cutting up an even amount of Macintosh, Honey Crisp, Golden Delicious, and Melrose apples. You can half or quarter your apples depending on their size.
Put in a big pot with 1/2 cup of water in bottom of pan to keep the apples from scorching. Cook on medium to medium high heat, covered. (15-25 minutes). Stir periodically to make sure the apples don’t scorch.
When the apples become soft, remove them from the heat.
Pour into a Victorio Food Strainer…
Crank and voila – you have applesauce!
You can store the applesauce in the refrigerator in smaller airtight containers for about a week. If you like a little extra spice to your applesauce, add a pinch of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice during the cooking process. I like to store mine in small single-size serving containers. They are easy to throw in the kids’ lunchboxes and make for a simple after school snack!