Applesauce: Never buy it again.

When my husband's mother came to visit a few years ago and asked me if I'd ever made applesauce before I looked at her like she was crazy. Why would I "make" applesauce? It's cheap. There's no reason whatsoever to bother with it. Right?

Wrong!

After I started my youngest son on solids I started to pay more attention to ingredients labels and processed foods. It's amazing the laundry list of things we eat. Why would you eat something you can't pronounce that wasn't grown in the earth? Does it really make sense? No wonder we're sick, unhealthy, stressed, and overweight!

When I was shown how unbelievably easy applesauce is it became my doorway into making everything myself.

Okay, what should be in applesauce? Apples. Anything else? No. Nothing. There's no need. If you've ever made banana bread from too ripe bananas then the same would apply to apples you'd rather not eat raw. Use them to make applesauce then use the sauce as a side to pork, spread on toast, to substitute as fats in baked goods, mix it in yogurt, or just eat it plain. Don't throw out seemingly old apples ever again!

Here are some apples I had hanging around the fruit basket that we weren't going to eat:

Wash them, peel and core them and place them in a large pot:

Cover and cook over low heat for 1-2 hours or until they are soft, stirring occasionally. They will naturally break down into sauce as you stir:

Refrigerate up to 10 days.

Because you use over ripened apples your applesauce will be very sweet, naturally. Also, the sweetness will depend on the type of apple. Granny smith apples will yield a tarter sauce than Gala apples.

Again, if you're buying applesauce and the ingredients list says anything other than apples you're buying fillers, sweeteners, preservatives, and other junk that we just aren't meant to eat. It doesn't take much work to make your own and your family will appreciate the love you show them by taking the time do feed them as healthfully as possible.