Crockpot Applesauce

Yesterday, in true fall fashion, KK and I went apple picking at Melick's Town Farm for Jess' birthday.  We wandered the rows and rows of apple trees, trying to decide which types of apples to bring home - Jonagold, Macoun, Cortland, Empire... the list of options goes on and on! KK was a little disappointed that the corn stand wasn't open, but we survived on fresh apple cider and apple cider doughnuts instead.  When we got home, I quickly put KK to work, helping me core, peel and slice apples for Freezer Apple Pie Filling.  We made this filling last year, but never had a chance to make a pie with it because we lost everything in our freezer after Hurricane Sandy.  After preparing the pie filling, KK and I met the Swikers who were visiting from Philadelphia! We had a "pig roast" (a.k.a. BBQ takeout from Legal Beans), then headed to Mills Tavern and Four L's for a Stevens Lacrosse alumni event.  We had a great time catching up with old friends, and are definitely going to do our best to make a trip down to Philly soon!

With more apples from Saturday's haul, I put KK to work again on Sunday morning.  Since we have enough pie filling, we started on applesauce.  Season with as much or as little spices as you choose.  To avoid over-seasoning, I recommend adding spices in small quantities, then tasting one of the apple slices to see if you're happy with the taste.  I used 11 apples (some were small), and ended up with 5 cups of applesauce.  We split the applesauce into two portions: one to eat this week, and one to freeze/thaw that we can eat in a few weeks!

Crockpot Applesauce

Adapted from (never)homemaker

Time: 3 hours

Serves: 5

Ingredients
10 apples

1/4 c lemon juice or apple cider

Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ground cloves, to taste

Directions

1. Peel, core, and cut apples into large pieces.  Place apples directly into the bowl of a 6-quart crockpot.

2. Toss apples with lemon or apple juice.  Add spices in dashes until satisfied with the taste.

3. Cook in crockpot on high for 2-3 hours.

4.  Smash apples with potato masher.  Use an immersion blender if smoother applesauce is preferred.  Serve warm, or refrigerate/freeze for later use.